June 16, 2008

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 to apply.  Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.

OTS contracts with the University of California, Berkeley, Traffic Safety Center 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 OTS website at http://www.tsc.berkeley.edu/checkpointminigrants/2008_2009checkpoint.

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 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving call sobriety checkpoints one of the most important DUI countermeasures available to law enforcement agencies.

The mini-grants are available for personnel overtime costs to conduct sobriety checkpoints during the following two “National Impaired Driving Campaign” mobilization periods:

• • The Winter Holiday period in December 2008/January 2009
• The Labor Day period in August /September 2009

In addition to conducting checkpoints during these periods, agencies are encouraged to request personnel overtime funding for additional checkpoints outside the mobilization periods.  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, University of California, Berkeley, Traffic Safety Center, Program Coordinator, at (510) 643-1774, or email at checkpoint@berkeley.edu.

 

Sincerely,

CHRISTOPHER J. MURPHY
Director

 

cc: Traffic Commanders