Full Notification

  The Berkeley Police Department has been awarded a $265,000.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcement and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries. The Berkeley Police Department will use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep our roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both education and enforcement.

Chief Andrew Greenwood shared, "Thanks to OTS, this grant will help us educate our community, and support our officers’ focused enforcement efforts on unsafe driving behaviors and locations in Berkeley. The grant will give us the ability to field additional officers to increase safety and reduce collisions in Berkeley. We are grateful to the California Office of Traffic Safety for their support of our work to keep our roadways safe and reducing injuries and harms through both enforcement and education."

After falling to a ten year low in 2010, the number of persons killed on roadways has climbed nearly 17 percent across the state, with 3,429 fatalities in 2015. Particularly alarming is the rise in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities that now comprise nearly 25 percent of all traffic deaths, along with the growing dangers of distracting technologies and the emergence of drug-impaired driving. This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as speeding and crashes at intersections.

"Unsafe behaviors account for 94 percent of traffic crashes," said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. "This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors – education and enforcement. The Berkeley Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep the members of the Berkeley community safe."

Activities that the grant will fund include:

• Educational presentations

• DUI Checkpoints

• DUI Saturation Patrols

• Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement

• Motorcycle safety enforcement

• Distracted driving enforcement

• Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement

• Speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement

While alcohol remains the worst offender for DUI crashes, The Berkeley Police department supports the new effort from OTS that aims to drive awareness that "DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze." Prescription medications and marijuana can also be impairing by themselves, or in combination with alcohol, and can result in a DUI arrest.

In 2016, Berkeley PD arrested (342) people for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and in 2015, Berkeley PD (247) people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. These arrests are in part a result of Office of Traffic Safety funded training programs, DUI Checkpoints, and DUI Saturation operations.

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.