Contra Costa Probation Department awarded grant for high-risk DUI offenders
From state Office of Traffic Safety
A $412,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for Intensive Supervision Program for High-Risk DUI Offenders will go toward check-ins with probationers to make sure they are following court-ordered terms of their probation and prevent probationers from re-offending.
“This grant will allow us to tackle the complex issues surrounding repeat DUI offenders, providing vital resources and guidance to break the cycle of alcohol-related offenses,” said Chief Probation Officer Esa Ehmen-Krause. “With this funding, we can create safer roads and a healthier community by reducing the incidence of DUI offenses.”
“The intensive supervision programs are critical to reducing the devastating consequences of DUI offenses,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Prevention is an effective, proactive tool to address the often tragic consequences of impaired driving.”
The grant will fund Probation Department personnel to monitor drivers on Probation for felony DUI or multiple misdemeanor DUI convictions, including conducting unannounced Fourth Amendment waiver home searches, field visits, random alcohol and drug testing and ensuring those on probation are attending court-ordered DUI education and treatment programs. The probation grant will also pay for warrant operations targeting probation violations and/or DUI suspects who do not appear in court, officer training in Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), distribution of DUI “Be On the Lookout” (BOLO) alerts, collaborating with courts and prosecutors to establish probation orders and participation with local law enforcement on anti-DUI efforts. While alcohol remains the worst offender for DUI crashes, Contra Costa County Probation supports OTS in its statement, “DUI just doesn’t mean booze.”
Prescription medications and marijuana can be impairing by themselves, but also in combination with alcohol, and can result in a DUI arrest.
The grant program runs through September 2024. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
the attachments to this post:
CC Probation Dept & CA OTS logos
