GPD gets grant for spec. traffic enforcement, crash prevention

Chief Ed at Night Out.jpg

The Gardena Police Department was awarded a $280,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.

 

The GPDwill use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep its roadways “safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education.”

 

The Gardena Police Department was awarded a $280,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.

 

The GPDwill use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep its roadways “safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education.”

 

“The City of Gardena is proud to be the recipient of this grant and our continuing partnership with OTS,” GPD Chief Ed Medrano said. “We will use these funds toward enforcement and education to impact traffic safety in our community with the ultimate goal of reducing traffic-related injuries and death.

 

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 Gardena 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: DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols; motorcycle safety enforcement; distracted driving enforcement; speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement; bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement; warrant service operations targeting multiple DUI offenders; 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), court “sting” operations to cite individuals driving from DUI court after ignoring their license suspension or revocation; and stakeout operations to observe the “worst-of-the-worst” repeat DUI offender probationers with suspended or revoked driver licenses.

 

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