TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — Kelvin Jackson and his friends stop in Savannah every St. Patrick's Day weekend. It's a tradition they've kept for 16 years.
"We go to Savannah because of St. Patrick's Day and we just go down and walk the boardwalk," said Jackson. He and his crew are just a handful of thousands taking Interstate 16 this weekend to get to Savannah, and law enforcement is gearing up to deal with them all.
Sheriff Darren Mitchum in Twiggs County says they normally have numerous checkpoints, but with the construction and staffing, deputies will patrol as usual.
"Well, we always try to have an increased enforcement and increased visibility," Mitchum said. They will be looking for the regular traffic violations as they would on any other weekend. "Obviously, they're not gonna be pulled over unless there's some kind of traffic infraction or violation of some kind to begin with, whether it be texting and driving or suspicion of being impaired from the way they're driving," he says.
Mitchum adds that last year, there were 12 arrests and more than 300 citations passed out over St. Patty's Day weekend.
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According to Laurens County Sheriff's Office Corporal Kevin Williams, there were 16 arrests and more than 200 citations in Laurens.
For this year, rest stops and patrol will be ready.