ORLANDO, Fla. – Traffic safety authority Trooper Steve Montiero, a familiar face from News 6, is dedicated to answering viewer queries and offering road safety tips, all with the goal of boosting the driving knowledge of Central Florida’s residents.

In a recent session, Trooper Steve addressed a question regarding the heightened presence of law enforcement during the festive season.

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“Much like any business or institution, police departments comprise a variety of roles beyond just the patrol officers,” Trooper Steve explained. “These include administrative duties, training, recruitment, community programs, logistics, and investigative tasks. Many of these roles are occupied by sworn officers whose primary objective is to serve the public, even if their routine tasks don’t involve being on patrol.”

As the holiday season arrives, bringing with it heavier traffic and increased service demands, law enforcement agencies often reassign some of these non-essential positions to fulfill the foundational duty of patrolling, for which all officers are initially trained.

“It’s essentially an all-hands-on-deck approach to boost visibility, improve response times and keep the community safe during one of the busiest travel periods of the year,” Trooper Steve said.

Even high-ranking members of an agency might help shoulder the load.

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“When staffing allows, those men and women can put aside the paperwork for a moment and get back to the streets,” he added.

And while it’s highly unlikely, there’s always that tiny holiday chance that the person pulling you over might be your county sheriff or your city police chief. Anything’s possible this time of year.