Goleta Police Receives Traffic Enforcement Grant

Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

The Goleta Police Department received a $70,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a one-year enforcement and education program. The money will fund various activities intended to reduce deaths and injuries on California roads.

“It is an honor to continue our partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety.  Traffic safety is a high priority in our city and this grant will allow us the ability to augment our existing efforts towards safer streets,” said Lieutenant Brian Thielst, Chief of Police Services for the City of Goleta.

The grant-related activities are for the 2020 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2020.

The funding from the OTS will be used for numerous programs, including:

• DUI/driver’s license checkpoints.
• Patrols specifically looking for suspected alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers.
• Patrols targeting violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law and vehicle code violations by drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians that put other roadway users at risk.
• Patrols targeting the primary causes of crashes: Speeding, improper turns, running stop signs or signals, right-of-way violations and driving on the wrong side of the road.

• Patrols targeting pedestrian and bicycle safety.
• Traffic safety education presentations for youth and community members on distracted and impaired driving, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Creating “Hot Sheets” identifying repeat DUI offenders.
• Officer training to identify suspected impaired drivers and conduct sobriety tests.

“Getting in a vehicle remains one of the most dangerous things we do,” OTS director Barbara Rooney said. “We must continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to shift that realization and make traveling on our roads safer.”

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.