Troopers, local police, out in force tonight

Don't expect state troopers to head home after the ball drops tonight and bartenders make their last calls.

The Highway Patrol has authorized them to stay out the entire night, and keep up the pressure throughout the upcoming weekend.

"Don't wait to until 3 in the morning thinking that everybody's gone home for the night, because they haven't," Cpl. Paul Brouthers said. "We'll be working throughout the weekend, on the lookout for speeding, aggressive drivers and drunk drivers."

Troopers and local police will team up to saturate the roads during that time. The Highway Patrol also planned traffic-safety checkpoints at undisclosed locations, as did police in the city of Charleston.

The enforcement period over the holiday and the weekend will last for 102 hours, the same as last year's New Year's holiday.

Brouthers said that across South Carolina, there were 13 fatalities during that period in late 2007 and early 2008.

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com