Eureka Police Department has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a yearlong program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways through special enforcement and public awareness efforts. The grant received by the city of Eureka will aid in the city’s ongoing effort to improve traffic safety and the quality of life. The Eureka Police Department will use the funding as part of an on-going commitment to keep our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.

”The Eureka Police Department is excited about receiving this grant as it will aid in our efforts to create safer streets in Eureka. As a city that rates high in the state in injury and fatal accidents it is our duty to accomplish the goals of the grant,” stated chief of police, Murl Harpham.

The grant will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions. While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, state and federal officials anticipate that figures will show a slight rise in 2011. DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities. Recent trends show increases in two new categories - distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.

Activities that the grant will fund include:

o Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE).

o DUI saturation patrols

o Motorcycle safety enforcement

o Distracted driving enforcement

o Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement

o Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement

o Traffic enforcement focusing on vehicle code violations that are the leading cause of traffic collisions.

o Warrant service operations targeting multiple DUI offenders

o Compilation of DUI “hot s heets,” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders

o Court “sting” operations to cite individuals driving from court after having their driver’s license suspended or revoked for drunk driving

o Stakeout operations to observe the “worst of the worst” repeat DUI offender probationers with suspended or revoked driver licenses

”Despite the recent increases, California’s roadways are still very much safer than they were before 2006,” said OTS director Christopher J. Murphy. “The Eureka Police Department will be keeping the pressure on through enforcement and public awareness so that we can continue saving lives and reach the vision we all share - toward zero deaths, every one counts.”

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.