CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
A new police initiative is making the streets of Corpus Christi safer.
The Corpus Christi Police Department's Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, or CVE, conducts safety checks on 18-wheelers and other trucks. It might surprise you to hear just how many violations they find.
Officer Jaime Pelfrey is part of the CVE team.
"We're hoping it saves people from getting killed in a commercial vehicle accident," Pelfrey said.
Pelfrey is specially trained in inspecting 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles. His certification allows him to randomly stop big rigs and make sure the drivers aren't breaking any laws. It usually takes an hour, sometimes two, depending on the type of inspection.
Within minutes of beginning an inspection on Monday, he found a violation that could cause a major accident.
"The hose would blow out, and he won't have front breaks, so this is a violation," Pelfrey said. "That's just a loaded gun waiting to go off."
Pelfrey makes four or five stops per day. During the checks, he said he often stumbles upon more than just safety violations.
"On average, once a week at least, I come up with a sub amount of narcotics or illegals," Pelfrey said.
The team mainly targets trucks traveling on city streets.
"The people inside city limits now are used to not being stopped at all," Pelfrey said. "Why? Because troopers don't work inside city limits."
The CVE was started last summer, and officers are already seeing a decrease in the number of accidents involving 18-wheelers.
