Arcadia Police Department Awarded $67K Grant From the OTS

The safety of everyone traveling is thefocus of a grant awarded to the Arcadia Police Department. The $67,000 grantfrom the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will assist in the ArcadiaPolice Department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Arcadia roads.

“These are trying times, and now morethan ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” ArcadiaPolice Lieutenant Brett Bourgeous said. “This funding allows us to educate andenhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant is for the 2021federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

The grant will fund a variety of trafficsafety programs, including:

• Patrolswith emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
• Patrolswith emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phonelaw.
• Patrolswith emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Patrolswith emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed,failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lanechanges.
• Communityeducation presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving,DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Collaborativeefforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
• Officertraining and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), AdvancedRoadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

“Through education and behavior changes,we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road usersin our community,” Lieutenant Bourgeous said.

Fundingfor this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of TrafficSafety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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