Tucson Police Department has received four grants from the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety, meant to reduce traffic fatalities and unsafe driving behavior.
According to a news release from Tucson Police, the grant funding will be utilized through the end of 2025 until Sept. 30, 2026.
The funding, as provided in the news release, includes:
DUI Enforcement Grant - $60,000 will provide additional personnel support and employee-related expenses to enhance DUI enforcement efforts throughout Tucson.
The additional officers on the roadway will participate in high-visibility DUI deployments and saturation patrols with an emphasis on holidays and weekend nights.
The goal of these deployments and saturation patrols is to increase the awareness of motorists regarding the dangers of impaired driving, deter those who may be impaired from driving and investigate DUI offenses to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road.
Occupant Protection Traffic Grant - $45,430 will be used to heighten the awareness of the public to the hazards of non-seatbelt use and child restraint violations.
This will be accomplished through public education using classroom and hands-on training at public car seat check events. Nationally Certified Car Seat Technicians will be available to hand out information and answer questions about car seats and booster seats at these events.
Collision Investigation Training and Equipment Grant - $9,014 will provide funding to be utilized specifically for training in collision investigation and reconstruction.
The funds will ensure that investigators have the necessary training in order to assess roadway evidence, complete collision-based mathematical equations and create detailed collision reconstructions.
Funds from this grant will also be utilized to keep the Tucson Police Department’s investigative equipment up to date. Collision investigations require specialized equipment in order to capture roadway evidence, vehicle diagnostics at the time of collision, and software programs needed to reconstruct collision scenes.
Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant - $50,566 of grant funding will be used to reduce collisions by focusing on enforcing hazardous violations, which are directly related to the cause of many motor vehicle collisions.
These violations include but are not limited to exceeding the posted speed limit, following too closely, failure to yield right of way to other traffic, failure to stop for red lights or stop signs, aggressive driving, use of a handheld portable device while driving, and driving while impaired (drugs or alcohol).
