The safety of everyone traveling is the focus of a grant awarded to the Goleta Police Department. The $78,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will assist in the Goleta Police Department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Goleta roads.
“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” Sergeant John Maxwell, who leads the Goleta Police Department’s Traffic Unit, said. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”
The one-year grant is for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.
The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:
- Patrols with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
- Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
- Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes.
- Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
- Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
- Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside 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 users in our community,” Sergeant Maxwell said.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.