Two grants aim at keeping Mesa's streets safer

According to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, there were 585 alcohol related fatalities in Arizona during 2006, 409 of those involved blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher. A grant rewarded to the Traffic Division this week by the Governor's Office of Highway safety specifically addresses the Mesa Police Department's ability to continue the high level of DUI enforcement that the Traffic Division is known to provide. The Grant for overtime and continued DUI enforcement provided $60,000 dollars that will allow the Traffic Division to properly staff the DUI Task Force. $9,000 of those dollars will be utilized to purchase equipment, specifically portable breath testers also knows as PBT's.

Speeding is another factor contributing to collisions involving serious injury and fatalities. A grant awarded one month ago by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to the Mesa Police Department Traffic Division will impact our ability to enforce speeding violations and educate driver's about speeding. The grant for speed enforcement and occupant protection provided $50,000 dollars to the Traffic Division. $30,000 dollars will specifically target enhanced speed enforcement. This will allow for traffic officers to be deployed to areas of the city negatively impacted by speeding vehicles without depleting daily resources. Traffic officers will be deployed on overtime so that normal staffing levels within the Traffic Division will not be affected. This will allow the Traffic Division to provide the normal level of service on a daily basis with the added level of speed enforcement. $10,000 dollars of the grant has been designated to the Child Safety Seat Program. A few times every month members of the Traffic Division in partnership with the Safe Kids Coalition (www.safekids.org) provide free child safety seat checks to citizens at local retail stores and H.E.A.T. events held throughout the city. Finally, 10,000 dollars will be designated for vehicular crimes and drug recognition expert training.

The Mesa Police Department is proud to work in close partnership with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to reduce impairment and speed-related collisions involving serious injuries and fatalities. We are committed to make the streets of Mesa a safe place to drive. Citizens are encouraged to participate in the Child Safety Seat Program. Visit the Mesa Police Department web site, which can be found at www.cityofmesa.org. There you will find more information about the Child Safety Seat Program. For more information about highway safety in Arizona, please visit www.azgohs.gov.