BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills Police Department announced on November 8 that they were awarded an $80,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The grant will support ongoing enforcement and education programs to help decrease the number of serious injuries and deaths on roads.

“This funding will strengthen our commitment to public safety in our community,” said Police Chief Mark G. Stainbrook. “We will be able to increase our efforts in making our roads safer for everyone and focus on critical areas such as distracted driving, impaired driving, and speeding.”

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.

-Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

The grant program will run through September 2024. Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).