The Morgan Hill Police Department will use a $60,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to help make local roads safer.
The grant, which was announced by MHPD on Nov. 14, will support the department’s ongoing enforcement and education efforts “to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads,” says a press release from MHPD.
“This funding will strengthen our commitment to public safety in our community,” Morgan Hill Police Chief Shane Palsgrove said. “We will be able to increase our efforts in making our roads safer for everyone and focus on critical areas such as distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding.”
The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including:
DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers;
High-visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law;
Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk;
Enforcement operations focused on top violations (speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and red light running and improper turn or lane changes) that cause crashes;
Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and bicycle and pedestrian safety;
Officer training and/or recertification for Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
The grant program will run through September 2024. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
