Title
Governor's Highway Safety Program Grant for Traffic Safety - Driving While Impaired Task Force
Action
Action:
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for and accept a grant in the amount of $217,739 from the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program for the Driving While Impaired Task Force.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Johnny Jennings, Police
Kevin Triola, Police
Katie Anderson, Police
Explanation
* The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) has been invited to apply for a North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program (NC GHSP) grant for the Driving While Impaired (DWI) Task Force. This is an annual opportunity, which has been granted to the city for the past 12 years.
* The terms of the grant require that City Council adopt a resolution authorizing CMPD to apply for and accept grant funding.
* The total cost for the DWI Task Force, made up of six officers and one sergeant, is projected to be $870,958 in fiscal year (FY) 2026. The grant will fund 25 percent of the Task Force's costs ($217,739). The city plans to provide the 75 percent required match ($653,218) with funding from CMPD's operating budget.
* In FY 2024, the DWI Task Force charged a total of 378 DWI offenses and issued 3,000 total violations and 3,998 traffic stops. The task force conducted numerous search warrants for blood on all DWI breath test refusals and assisted with 77 fatality cases, 18 of which involved impaired drivers. To combat impaired driving through education, the DWI Task Force has taught 10 Drug and Alcohol Awareness classes at area high schools, universities, and at various community events, and three Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) classes, two SFST refresher classes, and two DWI 101 classes to local law enforcement. The seven positions partially funded by the NC GHSP Grant are permanent CMPD positions. When the opportunity to apply for this funding ceases, the CMPD will fully support all positions.
* The grant...
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