City Of Rohnert Park Receives $57K Grant To Fight Alcohol-Related Harm

ROHNERT PARK, CA — The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety has been awarded a $57,473 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to battle alcohol-related harm in the community, Director of Public Safety Tim Mattos announced Thursday.

The grant was written as a joint program with the City of Cotati and Sonoma State University. Under the multi-agency grant, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety will act as the administrator and will work closely with the other two agencies to effectuate the terms of the grant agreement.

"This is important to the city of Rohnert Park in order to increase protection for youth and to shut down problem locations that have contributed to an increase in crime," Mattos said.

The grant is one of several awarded in California to local law enforcement agencies through ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP). The grants strengthen local law enforcement efforts by combining the talents of local police officers and ABC agents, as ABC agents have expertise in alcoholic beverage laws and can help communities reduce alcohol-related harm.

"The program can improve the quality of life in neighborhoods," said ABC Chief Director Joseph McCullough. "We’ve seen a real difference in the communities where the grant program resources have been invested."

According to ABC, a high value is placed on the collaboration between ABC, local law enforcement agencies, and the communities they serve in addressing quality-of-life issues. The Rohnert Park DPS, Cotati Police Department and Sonoma State University Police have stated they believe in working cooperatively with ABC licensees and industry stakeholders to ensure a safe and fair marketplace, one that is both profitable and accountable.

The APP program was created in 1995 to strengthen partnerships between ABC and local law enforcement agencies. The program is designed to put bad operators out of business, keep alcohol away from minors and bring penalties such as fines, suspensions or revocations against businesses that violate the law and cause harm to the community, the ABC said.

The funds will be used to reduce the number of alcoholic beverage sales to minors, obviously intoxicated patrons, illegal solicitations of alcohol, and other criminal activities such as the sale and possession of illegal drugs. The APP program has distributed millions of dollars to local law enforcement to combat alcohol-related harm, according to ABC.