Elk Grove PD Gets $179,450 in Grants for Traffic Enforcement, DUI Checkpoints

The following is a press release from the Elk Grove Police Department:

The Elk Grove Police Department has been awarded two grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety.  

A $125,000 grant will provide funding for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through special enforcement and public awareness efforts.  A $54,450 grant will provide funding for an anti-DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on Elk Grove roadways.  The grants received by Elk Grove will aid in the city’s ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and the quality of life.  The Elk Grove Police Department will use the funding as part of an on-going commitment to keep our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.

These grants will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions.  Last year, Elk Grove experienced 7 fatalities and 671 injures in these tragic crashes.  While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, but rose by 2.6 percent in 2011.  State and federal officials anticipate that figures will show another rise for 2012.  DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities.  Recent trends show increases in two new categories – distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.

Activities that the grant will fund include:

·        Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST),                                             

Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE).

·        DUI Saturation Patrols and checkpoints 

·        Motorcycle safety enforcement

·        Distracted driving enforcement

·        Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement

·        Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement

·        Compilation of DUI “Hot Sheets,” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders

Funding for these programs are from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.