Berkeley Greenlights Use Of $180K Traffic Safety Grant

BERKELEY, CA — The Berkeley City Council on Tuesday night approved the city’s Police Department’s use of a state-funded traffic safety grant.

The $180,000 grant was awarded to the Berkeley Police Department from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

The grant funds will enable the BPD to field additional officers to help prevent deaths and injuries on Berkeley roadways, attend DUI related training and provide traffic safety presentations to the community, the agency said.

“Unsafe driving behavior continues to be the primary cause of collisions in the City of Berkeley,” BPD Lt. Jen Tate said in a statement.

“We are committed to using equitable, data driven intelligence to provide both education and enforcement to support the City’s goal of eliminating fatal and serious collisions on Berkeley roadways.”

The grant money will be used to fund DUI checkpoints and patrols targeting impaired drivers, enforcement operations focused on distracted driving, and bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations, among other programs.

“Through these education and enforcement efforts, we hope to correct bad driving behavior and ensure the safety of all those who walk, bike and motor within the City of Berkeley,” Tate said.

The one-year grant is for the 2022 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022.

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