For Immediate Release
October 18, 2021
Contact: Commander Darrick Brunk
Ventura Police Department awarded $205,000 grant from
the California Office of Traffic Safety
Ventura, Calif. — The Ventura Police Department was awarded a $205,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program to deter dangerous and illegal driving, biking, and walking behaviors that increase the risk of crashes in the community.
“Impairment, speeding, and other dangerous behaviors jeopardize the safety of everyone on the road,” said Sergeant Michael Brown. “This funding allows us to provide necessary traffic enforcement to reduce the growing trend of DUI, bicyclist, and pedestrian-involved crashes by educating the public on safe road behaviors.”
The grant will fund additional enforcement measures and traffic safety programs, including:
- DUI checkpoints and patrols specifically focused on suspected impaired drivers.
- Enforcement operations focused on suspected distracted drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
- Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations focused on driver behaviors that put vulnerable road users at risk.
- Bicycle skills and training courses that educate youth on safe riding behaviors.
- Patrol with an emphasis on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes.
- Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speeding, and best walking and biking practices.
- Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The one-year grant will run from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.
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