Full Notification

GILROY POLICE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES GRANT FOR SPECIAL TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AND CRASH PREVENTION

Gilroy Police Department has been awarded a $107,423.00 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 Gilroy 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 enforcement and education.

“Collision prevention and traffic enforcement continue to be among the top priorities of the Gilroy Police Department. Unfortunately we have recently experienced traffic related fatalities here in our community. This award will certainly complement our traffic division’s education and enforcement efforts,” stated Denise Turner, Gilroy Chief of Police

After falling dramatically between 2006 and 2010, the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions saw slight increases in 2011 and 2012. Particularly worrisome are recent increases in pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities and the dangers of distracting technologies. This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other devastating problems such as drunk and drugged driving and speeding.

“California’s roadways are still among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “But to meet future mobility, safety, and sustainability objectives, we must create safer roadways for all users. The Gilroy Police Department will be using these and other resources to reach the vision we all share – Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.”

Activities that the grant will fund include:

• Traffic safety educational presentations

• DUI checkpoints

• DUI saturation patrols

• Motorcycle safety enforcement

• Distracted driving enforcement

• Bicycle and pedestrian enforcement operations

• 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

• Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE)

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

Contact:  Sergeant Kurt Ashley, Traffic Division Supervisor  (408) 846-0521

For Media Inquiries: (408) 846-0367

By: Sergeant Pedro Espinoza