Scott McDaniel, a patrol sergeant for Carson City Sheriff’s Office was recognized recently at a statewide conference of Joining Forces law enforcement agencies.
During the conference held in Las Vegas, Sgt. McDaniel — a law officer for nearly 35 years — was awarded Outstanding Joining Forces Coordinator of the Year for the state of Nevada, one of five different awards presented at the gathering.
Joining Forces is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement program that promotes traffic safety by targeting impaired or distracted driving, pedestrian safety, speeding and seat belt use.
Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States and most crashes are preventable. Through scheduled Joining Forces events, Nevada law enforcement agencies aim to increase awareness for traffic safety and modify risky behavior, thereby preventing accidents and saving lives.
Joining Forces involves all law enforcement agencies in the state of Nevada, with Fallon and Churchill County coming on board this year.
McDaniel spoke at the Joining Forces conference as well and gave his own presentation about Carson City’s pedestrian crosswalk enforcement operations. The presentation discussed how the Carson City Sheriff’s Office ramped up patrol operations following three pedestrian related fatalities this year. See the video below.
“The object is to reduce fatalities to zero and to make the motoring public and pedestrians aware of each other through our operations,” he said.
Operations were held at locations around Carson City considered high risk for pedestrians. Officers dressed in bright orange would walk at their own risk through crosswalks during busy times of the day and motorists were expected to yield to them. Motorists who did not yield during the operations were ticketed.
As Joining Forces coordinator for Carson City, McDaniel was responsible for coordinating the operations, media relations as well as writing more than a hundred weekly press columns over the past three years.
The award given to McDaniel recognized him for his commitment and his efforts in Carson City to make city streets safer. McDaniel has stepped down from the coordinator position this year and has been replaced by Sgt. Earl Mays.
