By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights council members voted unanimously during a July 10 City Council meeting to accept $112,770 in grant funds from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund grant program.
The grant program provides funding to enhance DUI enforcement efforts and allows for the acquisition of a dedicated vehicle for DUI saturation patrols and funding for overtime to conduct the extra patrols. The funds also allow officers to attend training, which will “enhance expertise and strategies in combating impaired driving,” according to the city. The period for the grant is the fiscal year from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
“It’s a wonderful grant,” Vice Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said during the council meeting, adding that the services provided by the grant funding benefit the public.
The city reported that the Citrus Heights Police Department has experienced “many issues” with drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In 2022, the Police Department investigated 452 individuals for DUI-related crimes and arrests, and in 2023, CHPD investigated 432 individuals for DUI-related crimes and arrests, and the department reported one DUI-related fatal collision. DUI-related collisions were third on the list of primary collision factors, under unsafe speed and turning movements in 2022 and 2023.
The city says police plan to utilize the grant funding with the goal of reducing instances of DUI and DUD by educating motorists, employing DUI patrols, and purchasing DUI-specific training, educational, and equipment materials.
