|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Pleasanton Police Department will be using state grant money to purchase two new vehicles to support traffic safety efforts and impaired driving enforcement, officials announced last week.
According to an Oct. 8 press release, PPD will specifically be buying a fully equipped police vehicle and a police motorcycle with funds awarded to the department through the California Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program.
“Keeping our roadways safe remains one of our top priorities,” PPD Lt. Chris Niederhaus said in the press release. “This grant allows us to expand our resources, strengthen impaired driving enforcement and continue protecting the community from the dangers of DUI-related collisions,” he added.
PPD received a total of $150,000 through the grant program.
In addition to the proactive patrol and safety efforts, a portion of the funds will be allocated to conduct a DUI checkpoint in December, PPD officials said.
The department will also use some of the money from the grant to support community outreach and education campaigns which aim to ensure residents — particularly young drivers — are informed about the “risks of impaired driving and the importance of making safe choices.”
The grant program was created thanks to funding from the 2016 voter-approved Proposition 64, which requires the state to set aside money for CHP. The agency then uses those funds to award grants to government agencies and other organizations, according to the California Highway Patrol website.
“The Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program marks an important step toward reducing impaired driving crashes, increasing public awareness surrounding the dangers of impaired driving and making California’s roadways a safer place to travel,” the CHP website says.
