The Tennessee Highway Safety Office has awarded the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office a 2019-2020 Remove Impaired and Intoxicated Drivers grant for $91,800.
The RIID grant enables the sheriff’s office use of additional federal funds to support traffic enforcement operations aimed at removing impaired and intoxicated drivers from local roads.
Every year, traffic safety advocates, nonprofit organizations, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, district attorneys’ offices and other state agencies across Tennessee seek funding through grant applications offered by the THSO.
Applicants who meet the required criteria and highway safety standards are awarded grant funds to support the THSO’s mission to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities and save lives.
Grant funding provides paid overtime, essential highway safety training and equipment for law enforcement agencies, specialized DUI prosecutors, resources for emergency response personnel and educational tools to help improve driver behavior.
Last year’s RIID grant allowed the sheriff’s office to make over 200 arrests for DUI, driving on revoked or suspended driver’s license, and misdemeanor and felony drug possession alone. Additional arrests and traffic violation citations were also issued.
Source: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office