KING CITY — King City Police Department has received more than $100,000 in grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety to improve local traffic enforcement services.
The first grant, worth $50,000, will be used to roll out a police traffic services program to deter dangerous and illegal driving behaviors that increase the risk of crashes in the community.
“Impairment, speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors jeopardize the safety of other people on the road,” said King City Police Chief Keith Boyd. “This funding allows us to provide necessary traffic enforcement measures with the goal of reducing serious injury and fatal crashes on our roads.”
The grant will pay for additional enforcement measures, 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; enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes, such as speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and red-light running and improper turning or lane changes; and collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies.
In addition, the grant allows for community education presentations on traffic safety issues, such as distracted driving, DUI, speeding and bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Officer will also receive training and recertification in Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
The second grant, worth $52,500, will be used for a traffic records improvement project to enhance the timeliness of reporting crash and citation data.
“Accurate and timely data is critical to understanding the nature of the biggest traffic safety issues in our community and the best ways to address them,” Boyd said. “We are grateful for this funding from the OTS, which allows us to report data efficiently and effectively.”
Grant funds will pay for a new electronic crash data reporting system.
“The mission of the King City Police Department is to work in partnership with the community to protect life and property, solve neighborhood problems and enhance the quality of life in our city,” Boyd said.
Additional traffic safety
Monterey County Public Health Bureau also received a $100,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety that will support the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians throughout Monterey County, including the Salinas Valley.
“Monterey County Public Health is excited to continue working with OTS to promote walking and biking to and from school to reduce traffic congestion and collisions during drop-off and pick-up times,” according to a county news release.
The funding will support continued outreach and education in the cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Seaside and Pacific Grove, while making walking and biking to school safer, more interactive and fun for families and students in Monterey County.
Grant funds will pay for a comprehensive safety program that will teach valuable skills for all types of road users. This includes educational presentations to teach youth and older adults on safe walking habits; community and school education presentations on best bike and walking practices; and helmet-fitting inspections and distribution of helmets to those in need.
In addition, the funding will support the continuation of a community sidewalk stencil art project, which launched earlier this year in Gonzales, Soledad and Greenfield. The artwork provides a safe walking route for students and their families to get to and from school.
The funds also allow for participation in community events that promote the importance of visibility on roads with safety equipment, such as reflective armbands and leg bands and bicycle headlights and taillights.
Funding for these programs, which will run through September 2022, was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
