August 10, 2007

Dear Chief of Police:

The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is proud to announce the solicitation of applications for the “Sobriety Checkpoint Mini-grant Program for Local Law Enforcement Agencies”.  City Police Departments and Contract City Police Departments in cities with a population greater than 20,000 are eligible grant recipients. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.

OTS is contracting with the University of California, Berkeley, Traffic Safety Center (TSC) to manage the application, reporting and financial processes.  All final funding decisions will be made with OTS approval.  To apply for a Sobriety Checkpoint Mini-grant, please visit the TSC website at http://www.tsc.berkeley.edu/checkpointminigrants/.

The goal of the statewide sobriety checkpoint program is to reduce the number of people killed in alcohol-involved crashes.  Sobriety checkpoints are an effective way to maximize the deterrent effect and increase the perception of apprehension of motorists who would operate a vehicle while impaired by alcohol.  Studies conducted in California and other states point to the fact that cities conducting sobriety checkpoints report substantial reductions in alcohol-involved crashes. Additionally, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board call sobriety checkpoints one of the most important DUI countermeasures available to law enforcement agencies.
The mini-grants are available for overtime costs to conduct sobriety checkpoints during the following two “National Impaired Driving Campaign” mobilization periods:

• The Winter Holiday period in December 2007/January 2008
• The Labor Day period in August 2008/September 2008

In addition to conducting checkpoints during these periods, agencies are encouraged to request overtime funding for additional checkpoints outside the mobilization periods.  Those agencies that currently have checkpoints funded in an existing OTS grant are eligible to participate in this effort as long as the mini-grant checkpoints are over and above the checkpoints identified in their existing grant.

If you have any questions, please contact Sharleen Rauch, UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center (TSC) Grant Coordinator, at (510) 643-1774, or by email at checkpoint@berkeley.edu.

 

Sincerely,

CHRISTOPHER J. MURPHY
Director

 

cc: Traffic Commanders