RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – As Rutherford County continues to rank among Tennessee’s fastest-growing communities, Sgt. Austin Watson, a supervisor over the traffic unit at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office is raising concerns about the dangers of impaired driving. With the county’s population projected to surge in the coming decades, pressure on local infrastructure — and the risks on already busy roadways — are expected to intensify. A study conducted by the University of Tennessee’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research estimates Rutherford County’s population will reach 511,987 residents by 2040 and climb to approximately 741,000 by 2070 — growth that law enforcement officials see an urgent need for roadway safety awareness and enforcement.
Sgt. Watson told WGNS it’s not the DUI arrests that stand out to him when he leaves his shift – It’s the DUI related wrecks that end with a fatality…
A Culture of Enforcement and Education – Sgt. Watson, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) who was recently honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), emphasizes that safety isn’t just about making arrests—it’s about changing mindsets. As an example, in 2024 the Sheriff’s Office alone made 361 DUI arrests, contributing to a staggering county-wide total of approximately 800 arrests when including municipal agencies and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP)…