Napa DUI Task Force Gets $124K Grant

The Napa County “Avoid the 9” DUI Task Force has received a $124,000  grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Although the grant is for the entire county, it will be admiistered by the Napa Police Department.

Napa Police Capt. Steve Potter said, “The Avoid the 9 DUI Task Force is named to send the message that if you don’t drink or use drugs and drive, you will avoid getting arrested by any of the 9 participating law enforcement agencies in the county.”

 The grant activities will specifically target those who get behind the wheel after drinking too much or using drugs that impair driving.  Officers from law enforcement agencies across the county will jointly staff DUI/Driver License Checkpoints, multi-agency DUI Task Force deployments, and local DUI saturation patrols.  Additionally, funding will target the ‘worst of the worst’ repeat DUI offenders with Warrant/Probation Sweeps and Court Sting Enforcement Operations focusing on DUI offenders with suspend licenses who drive from court hearings after being ordered not to by a judge.

A large part of grant funding will go to DUI/Drivers License Checkpoints – highly visible, highly publicized events not only meant to make arrests, but to deter impaired driving in the first place.  Crashes involving alcohol have been shown drop by up to 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent, and are supported by nearly 90 percent of California drivers.

Motorists can expect to see special DUI campaigns during the winter and summer holiday periods as well as on Halloween, Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and during local special events with identified DUI Problems.  Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Agencies participating in the ‘Avoid the 9’ taskforce include: Napa Police Department, Napa County Sheriff’s Department, American Canyon Police Department, St. Helena Police Department, Calistoga Police Department, Napa Valley College Police Department, Napa County Probation Department, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the California Highway Patrol (Napa Office).