Snow emergency info on VWSO website

Sheriff’s Department information

Van Wert County Sheriff Stan D. Owens said that a new link has been added to the menu of the Sheriff’s Department’s website regarding snow emergencies.

County residents will now be able to go online to http://vanwertcountysheriff.com to ascertain if a snow emergency has been enacted for the county, and also when an emergency is lifted.

Sheriff Owens also noted that his department does not use the “three level” system due to the confusion it creates with the general public. “Several of our residents work in Indiana, whose snow levels are just the opposite of Ohio’s level system,” Sheriff Owens added. “We have found that the public confusion created by using levels is not acceptable.”

When a snow emergency is declared in Van Wert County, it means roads are, or are becoming, impassable and that snowplows are pulling off the roadways due to white-out conditions and weather elements present a possible life-threatening condition for stranded motorists.

A snow emergency is left in place and not lifted until snow removal equipment has had a chance to clear roadways. Sheriff Owens consults with County Engineer Kyle Wendel and his staff on road conditions, as well as relies on reports from his department’s patrol units in deciding how long a snow emergency will remain in effect.