Cathedral City Police Receive $70,000 Grant

CATHEDRAL CITY — The Cathedral City Police Department has received a $70,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program. The money will be used to pay for various activities intended to reduce deaths and injuries on California roads.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety and use these grant funds to further our traffic safety goals,” Acting Chief Anthony Yoakum said in a prepared statement. “Traffic safety has always been a top priority for our agency and our community.  This grant will help us continue our ongoing efforts to reduce fatalities, improve roadway safety and raise awareness that collisions are preventable.”

The grant-related activities are for the 2020 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2020.

The grant money from the OTS will be used for numerous programs, including:

• Patrols specifically looking for suspected alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers.
• Patrols targeting violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law and vehicle code violations by drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians that put other roadway users at risk.
• Patrols targeting the primary causes of crashes: Speeding, improper turns, running stop signs or signals, right-of-way violations and driving on the wrong side of the road.
• Patrols specifically looking for seat belt and child safety seat violations.
• Traffic safety education presentations for youth and community members on distracted and impaired driving, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Serving warrants to multiple DUI offenders.
• Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.
• Purchase of handheld citation devices/software that links information directly to the courts.

“Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do,” Barbara Rooney, OTS director, said in a prepared statement. “We must continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer.”

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