OVPD receives grant funding for traffic enforcement
Published on November 26, 2024
ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (November 26, 2024) – The Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) has received several traffic safety enforcement grants from our partners in the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (AZGOHS). The nearly $93,000 in grant funding will be used to make the roads safer for everyone traveling in the Town of Oro Valley.
The Impaired Driving Program (DUI) grant funding of $60,158 will be used to purchase DUI enforcement materials and provide overtime funding to support DUI enforcement and participation with the Southern AZ DUI Taskforce. The goal of the DUI grant is to reduce the incidences of alcohol and drug related driving fatalities and injuries.
The Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant funding of $32,841 will be used to purchase new vehicle mounted moving RADAR units and provide overtime funding for extra STEP patrols in high collision and high speeding areas. The goal of the STEP grant is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injuries resulting from speeding, aggressive driving, red light running, and other forms of risky driving behavior.
Both of these grant funded goals are achieved through traffic safety enforcement, education, and public awareness throughout the State of Arizona.
OVPD would like to thank Director J.M. “Jesse” Torrez and his staff at AZGOHS for continuing to be valued partners in the goal of eliminating traffic related injuries and fatalities and providing OVPD this grant funding.
OVPD Chief Kara Riley remarked saying, “We appreciate partnerships like the one we have with the GOHS, that help us work towards making the roads in Oro Valley safer for all that travel on them. Speed, impaired and distracted driving are dangerous, and these funds will go towards reducing injuries and fatalities caused by these dangerous drivers.”
OVPD has already removed 209 impaired drivers from our roadways in 2024 with the busy holiday season still to come. STEP Patrols have led to over 872 additional traffic stops so far in 2024. This grant will allow OVPD to continue to dedicate officers to life saving traffic safety patrols.