The Turlock Police Department received a $40,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a one-year enforcement and education program. The money will fund various activities intended to reduce deaths and injuries on California roads.

“The Turlock Police Department is proud of our partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety,” said Turlock Police Chief Nino Amirfar. “Working together, we will utilize these resources to educate the public about safe driving habits while increasing patrols to remove impaired drivers from our streets. During these difficult budgetary times, grants received from outside sources allow Turlock Police Department to increase patrols by utilizing overtime which we hope will reduce accidents while increasing driver safety.”

The grant-related activities are for the 2020 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, to Sept. 30, 2020.

The funding from the OTS will be used for numerous programs, including:
• DUI/driver’s license checkpoints.
• Patrols specifically looking for suspected alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers.
• Patrols targeting violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law and vehicle code. violations by drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians that put other roadway users at risk.
• Patrols targeting the primary causes of crashes: Speeding, improper turns, running stop signs or signals, right-of-way violations and driving on the wrong side of the road.
• Patrols specifically looking for seat belt and child safety seat violations.
• Serving warrants to multiple DUI offenders.
• Creating “Hot Sheets” identifying repeat DUI offenders.
• Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.

“Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do,” OTS director Barbara Rooney said. “We must continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer.”

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.