Police agencies come together for motor carrier safety inspections

Officers from Fairfax County and the Virginia State Police visited Fort Belvoir Tuesday to demonstrate how to properly conduct motor carrier safety inspections.
With many large trucks coming in and out of the installation, Cpl. Andrew Brown, a veteran of the Belvoir police since 2005, said it's important to make sure these vehicles are safe and secure at all times.
"It's a matter of safety for not only the drivers of these large trucks, but for the rest of the community," Brown said. "We make sure all their instruments are working and that the carriers are not in threat of coming loose."
Brown routinely inspects trucks entering Tulley Gate. At the moment, he's the only Belvoir officer certified to do that. That's why getting fellow officers accustomed to this part of the job couldn't hurt the department, he said.
Sgt. Justin Palenscar, of the Fairfax County Police, has taken part in demonstrations before and said a typical inspection can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. He said an officer must check for a number of things, including tire tread, brake pressure, lights and whether an individual has a certified driver's license.
During Tuesday's safety check, Brown said two trucks were taken off the road - one of which had the driver operating the vehicle with an expired license. The other was ticketed for maintenance issues and required to call an on-site mechanic.
To be certified, Brown said officers must attend a two-week course on motor carrier safety and take part in nearly 30 supervised inspections, not counting Tuesday's demonstration.
Patrol officer Rose Silva is a member of the Fairfax County Police and works for its station in West Springfield. She plans on attending the safety course as soon as she can.
"This is something I've wanted to learn about for a while," Silva said. "When I found out they were doing this, I jumped at the chance to come down here. This overview has definitely helped me and can make me more valuable out in the field."
A handful of officers from Belvoir participated in the demonstration, which is part of an on-going partnership among the three agencies, as well as the Fairfax County HAZMAT team. In July, Belvoir and Fairfax County police cooperated in a similar operation in Lorton, targeting trucks with unsafe equipment, licensing and weight violations.
Officers from the three agencies agreed they would like to conduct future demonstrations at least once a month.