Grant allows SLTPD to beef up enforcement

South Lake Tahoe Police Department has been awarded a $47,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a yearlong program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.

After falling dramatically between 2006 and 2010, the number of people killed and injured in traffic collisions saw slight increases in 2011 and 2012.

Officers they are particularly worried about recent increases in pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities and the dangers of distracting technologies.

This grant funding will provide opportunities to combat these and other problems such as drunken and drugged driving and speeding.

Activities that the grant will fund include:

• · Traffic safety educational presentations to include bike and pedestrian awareness
• DUI checkpoints
• DUI saturation patrols
• Motorcycle safety enforcement
• Distracted driving enforcement
• 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, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, and Drug Recognition Evaluator
• Court “sting” operations to cite individuals driving from DUI court after ignoring their license suspension or revocation
• 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.