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My name is Lieutenant Dennis Joiner. I am the commander of the Traffic Unit at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. I began my career with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in 1993. I have worked in several areas which include Patrol Deputy, Field Training Officer, Major Crimes Detective and Patrol Sergeant. I have an Associates of Science Degree in Computer Technology and am currently working on obtaining my Bachelors Degree. I have recently completed Command Officer training at St. Leo University, Dale Carnegie training and Incident Command training. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit consists of two DUI specialists and eight motorcycle traffic Deputies one of which is a working Sergeant. The Traffic Unit is very proactive and is always looking for new and innovative ways to enforce traffic laws. One of our goals is to educate the citizens on the dangers of speeding, red light running, aggressive driving, DUI, and non-seatbelt compliance. The number one goal of the Traffic Unit is to make Marion County’s roadways safe for the people who travel them.
In 2003, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office developed an initiative called STEER, which stands for “Safety Through Education Enforcement and Responsibility.” Conducted monthly, the Traffic Unit joins forces with the Florida Highway Patrol, Ocala Police Department, Dunnellon Police Department and the Belleview Police Department to saturate specific areas in our county which have a high number of traffic crashes or traffic complaints and regain compliance.
The STEER initiative was enacted as the result of the increasing number of traffic fatalities, occurring in Marion County. Fatalities Alcohol related
Another proactive educational tool that the Traffic Unit utilizes is DUI checkpoints. In 2008, the Traffic Unit conducted 12 DUI checkpoints at various locations within our county. These operations were very helpful in the apprehension of the violators of this very serious crime. Because of the dedication and emphasis that we put on removing drunk drivers from our roadways the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a $25,920 grant from the Department of Transportation to help support our efforts.
The most common statement made by the violators who have been apprehended with the use of this unmarked vehicle is “if I knew that was a cop car I wouldn’t have been driving the way I was.” In closing, I would like to remind everyone who drives on our roadways or lives in our county to always remember, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to keeping you safe both on and off our roadways. Please feel free to contact me if you need any assistance from the Traffic Unit. Lieutenant Dennis Joiner
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Lieutenant Dennis Joiner
The newest weapon that we utilize in our effort to make our roadways safe is the Aggressive Driving Campaign. Operating a seized sports car and a Grant Funded 2008 Dodge Charger, which are equipped with a radar unit, lights and siren and a calibrated speedometer, we seek out aggressive drivers. We use this vehicle during our daily operations as well as on STEER days in conjunction with a marked patrol vehicle to apprehend these violators.