Banning PD Receives $168K In Grants From California Office of Traffic Safety​

BANNING, CA — The Banning Police Department announced Tuesday that it has received two separate public safety grants from the state totaling $168,000.

The law enforcement agency received $90,000 to support its ongoing enforcement and education programs aimed at reducing serious injuries and deaths on city roads, and it received $78,000 for a traffic records improvement project.

Both grants were received from the California Office of Traffic Safety and run through September 2026.

The $90,000 grant will provide additional programs and resources to the police department, 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).

“We are grateful to receive this grant, which will strengthen our traffic enforcement efforts and improve road safety,” said Banning Police Traffic Bureau Corporal Eric Campa. “Through a combination of education and enforcement efforts, our goal is to reduce dangerous driving behaviors, prevent crashes, and make our roads safer for everyone."

The separate $78,000 grant for a traffic records improvement project will allow the police department to report crash and citation data faster and more efficiently, according to the agency.

"Thanks to this grant, we're upgrading our traffic crash and citation reporting system,” Acting Police Captain Brandon Smith said. "The new system creates a faster, more efficient way to report crash and citation data, which ultimately helps identify a variety of traffic safety needs where we conduct education and enforcement measures in the community.”

Funding for both California Office of Traffic Safety grants was through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.