Los Angeles Police Department Receives Grant for Special Traffic Enforcement and Traffic Collision Prevention NR13511rh

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been awarded a $1,500,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through special enforcement and public awareness efforts.  The grant awarded to the LAPD will supplement the Department’s ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and quality of life through enforcement and education.

The grant will enhance the Department’s efforts to address traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions.  While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, they 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.

The grant will fund the following activities:
•    Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluation (DRE);
•    DUI Saturation Patrols;
•    Motorcycle safety enforcement;
•    Distracted driving enforcement;
•    Speed, right of way and pedestrian traffic enforcement; and,
•    Compilation of DUI “Hot Sheets,” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders

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

If you have questions regarding this news release, please contact Officer Don Inman, Traffic Coordination Section, at (213) 486-0690.