Title
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 2022-2023 by approving Budget Amendment 23.013. (Fahmida Murphy, Police Sergeant)
label
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 2022-2023.
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In January 2022, 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 tentatively approved by OTS in July 2022 and the Police Department was awarded a grant for $105,000. The operating period on the grant is from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023 (federal fiscal year).
This is the Police Department’s fifteenth year partnering with OTS to address traffic safety issues via grant funding. During this fifteen-year period, the Police Department has received over $1.77 million in grant funding through OTS. As a direct result of this funding, the Police Department has made 185 DUI arrests, 134 criminal arrests, issued over 5,000 speeding citations, issued citations to 257 drivers with suspended drivers licenses, and cited almost 800 unlicensed drivers. When comparing the years before receiving OTS grant funding to the years after receiving the funding, the City realized a 38% decrease in fatal traffic collisions, a 21% decrease in alcohol-involved injury traffic collisions, and a 44% decrease in speed-caused injury traffic collisions.
$101,900 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:
• $30,800 for 8 DUI saturation patrols
• $22,900 for 2 DUI and driver’s license checkpoints
• $30,400 for 8 Traffic safety enforcement operations (speeding, red lights, etc.)
• $6,400 for 2 Distracted driver saturation patrols
• $3,200 for 1 Bicycle / pedestrian safety enforcement operation
• $3,200 for 1 Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operations
• $5,000 for 2 collaborative multi-agency DUI saturation patrols
Additional funding in the grant pays for the following:
• $1,300 for purchase of two passive alcohol sensor (PAS) alcohol-detection devices
• $1,800 for travel and/or training expenses that support the goals and objectives of the grant.
FISCAL IMPACT
Budget Amendment 23.013 accepts $105,000 in grant funding for the purpose of personnel overtime, training and equipment 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 service 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 2022-2023 by approving Budget Amendment 23.013.