Indio Police Department awarded grant to help improve traffic safety

The Indio Police Department has been awarded a $70,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The grant will support our ongoing enforcement and education programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads. “We are happy to be awarded this funding from the Office of Traffic Safety,” Chief Mike Washburn said. “We will be able to increase our efforts in making our roads safer for everyone by focusing on critical enforcement and education areas such as distracted and impaired driving as well as speeding.”

The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including: 

• DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers. 

• High-visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law. 

• Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk. 

• Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes. 

• Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and bicycle and pedestrian safety.

• Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies. 

• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). 

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

Watch News Channel 3 at 5:00 p.m. for more on the story.