La Mesa Police Department Gets $100K Grant​ For Traffic Safety Efforts

LA MESA, CA — The La Mesa Police Department announced it will increase patrols and provide other traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on roads, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"This grant funding allows us to support our ongoing traffic safety efforts in the community," La Mesa police chief Ray Sweeney said. "Our intent is to stop the most unlawful and dangerous behaviors that put people at risk and create an environment where everyone feels safe traveling."

The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including:
• DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers.
• High visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of
California's hands-free cell phone law.
• Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the
safety of people biking or walking at risk.
• Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure
to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes.
• Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired
driving, speeding, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies.
• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced
Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
• The purchase of speed feedback signs that can be deployed throughout the community.

The grant program will run through September 2023.