Athens-Clarke Police Awarded $250K Grant for DUI Enforcement

From an ACCPD news release

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Athens-Clarke County Police is one of 17 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the 2015 grant season. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, Athens-Clarke County Police’s award totals $250,000.

The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI.

The Athens-Clarke County Police H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.

“Agencies like the Athens-Clarke County Police receive this H.E.A.T. grants because they have showed a particular dedication to protecting their citizens from impaired drivers,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. “This dedication is crucial because alcohol-related crash deaths still account for 25 percent of traffic fatalities in Georgia. We are grateful to Chief Lumpkin and his staff for their continued hard work.”

Totaling $3.2 million for 2015, H.E.A.T. grants fund specialize traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data.

Chief Joseph H. Lumpkin, Sr., said, “We are pleased to be awarded this grant by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The additional resources provided will allow us to increase our focus on preventing needless deaths and injuries we have experienced in our community. Last year alone we saw six lives lost due to impairment and one young person’s life as well as that of her loved ones forever changed.”

As law enforcement partners in the Operation Zero Tolerance DUI and Click It or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Athens-Clarke County Police will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’ year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints.

For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org. You may also contact ACCPD Traffic Supervisor Lt Don Eckert, at 706-208-1718 ext. 223 or Don.Eckert@athensclarkecounty.com.