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Report regarding a resolution accepting $105,000 from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety for the “Selective Traffic Enforcement Program” (STEP) to be used for personnel overtime, equipment and training expenses and amend the Police Department’s Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 by approving Budget Amendment 21.011 (Jeff Azzopardi, Police Chief)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution accepting $105,000 from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the “Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)” to be used for personnel overtime, equipment, and training expenses and amend the Police Department’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In January 2020, the Police Department submitted a grant application to the State of California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for funding of personnel overtime, equipment, and training expenses for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). The grant is administered by OTS with funding provided by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). This program will supplement normal police staffing for traffic safety and enforcement efforts.
The goal of the grant is to reduce the number of persons killed or injured in traffic collisions through the use of the specific overtime-funded traffic enforcement directed at the following unsafe driving behaviors: driving under the influence (DUI), speeding, red light running, traffic violations in and around high-collision-rate intersections, traffic violations related to motorcycle safety, seat belt violations, child-seat restraint violations, distracted driving, and repeat DUI offenders with suspended licenses.
The grant application was approved by OTS in August 2020 and the Police Department was awarded a grant for $105,000. The operating period on the grant is from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021 (federal fiscal year).
This is the Police Department’s thirteenth year partnering with OTS to address traffic safety issues via grant funding. During this thirteen-year period, the Police Department has received over $1.54 million in grant funding through OTS. As a direct result of this funding, the Police Department has made 174 DUI arrests, 126 criminal arrests, issued over 4,600 speeding citations, issued citations to 242 drivers with suspended drivers licenses, and cited 694 unlicensed drivers. When comparing the years before receiving OTS grant funding to the years after receiving the funding, the City realized a 40% decrease in fatal traffic collisions, a 17% decrease in alcohol-involved injury traffic collisions, and a 40% decrease in speed-caused injury traffic collisions.
$100,200 of the overall grant funds is to pay for overtime salaries for Police Officers to conduct specialized traffic safety enforcement throughout the City for the following operations:
• $26,600 for 7 DUI saturation patrols
• $23,000 for 2 DUI and driver’s license checkpoint
• $19,000 for 5 Traffic safety enforcement operations (speeding, red lights, etc.)
• $7,600 for 2 Distracted driver saturation patrols
• $6,000 for 2 Bicycle / pedestrian safety enforcement operation
• $9,000 for 3 collaborative multi-agency DUI saturation patrols
• $9,000 for 3 collaborative multi-agency traffic safety enforcement operations (speeding, red lights, etc.)
Additional funding of $4,800 is to pay for the following:
• $1,400 for DUI checkpoint supplies
• $3,400 for travel and/or training expenses that support the goals and objectives of the grant.
FISCAL IMPACT
Budget Amendment 21.011 accepts $105,000 in grant funding for the purpose of personnel overtime, equipment, and training expenses. The funding source is the State of California Office of Traffic Safety.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Acceptance of this grant meets Strategic Goals #2 and #3 by rendering skilled police, fire, and emergency services management and providing a high quality of life for residents.
CONCLUSION
Adoption of this resolution will allow the City to accept $105,000 from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety “Selective Traffic Enforcement Program” and amend the Police Department’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 by approving Budget Amendment 21.011.