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CONSIDERATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $69,200 FROM THE OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE TO BE USED BY THE NORMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT TO INCREASE ENFORCEMENT AND EDUCATION OF IMPAIRED DRIVING, DISTRACTED DRIVING, SEAT BELT AND CHILD RESTRAINT LAWS; AND TO INCREASE ENFORCEMENT AND EDUCATION OF PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE AND VEHICLE TRAFFIC ORDINANCES AND PROVIDE TUITION COSTS FOR POLICE MOTORCYCLE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING; APPROVAL OF CONTRACT K-1718-65; AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE SPECIAL GRANTS FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office has informed the Norman Police Department that it has been awarded a $69,200 grant. As with previous years, most of the money is allocated toward enforcement and education of impaired driving, distracted driving, seat belt and child restraint laws, and to increase enforcement and education of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic ordinances. Additional funding this year has been allocated toward tuition costs for a Police Motorcycle Instructor training course. The funds will be used to reimburse overtime incurred by officers engaged in education and enforcement and for expenses associated with sending an officer to the Policy Motorcycle Instructor course provided by Northwestern University Center for public Safety in partnership with the City of Edmond, Oklahoma.
DISCUSSION: The Norman Police Department will utilize full time officers in an overtime capacity to conduct impaired driving, distracted driving, seat belt and child restraint enforcement and education activities. Additional overtime efforts will be used to conduct pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic enforcement and education operations. Activities are intended to increase compliance with traffic laws and to reduce the number of collisions and injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions. Enforcement activities will be directed by DDACTS (Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety) analysis which identifies high-crime and high-collision areas, by identified locations of citizen complaints, and by recognized high-risk zones (e.g., schools, hospitals, day cares, etc.). Education activities will focus on general public safety announcements and more specific target-population based initiatives. Efforts will include traffic safety and sobriety checkpoints, “No Refusal” weekends, and high-visibility saturation patrol during holidays, special events, and OHSO mobilizations (“Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”), classroom presentations, and non-enforcement citizen out-reach projects.
The Norman Police Department will supply the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office with enforcement and education statistics on a monthly basis as stated in the attached contract between Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and the City of Norman. Funding reimbursement will continue through September 30, 2018.
In addition to on-going education and enforcement projects, OHSO has provided funding for tuition for one officer to attend the Police Motorcycle Instructor training provided by Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, in partnership with the City of Edmond. This education will allow the Norman Police Department to train future officers assigned to motorcycle patrol using in-house resources and lowering training costs and expenses.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that City Council accept the grant, approve the contract, and appropriate $69,200 from the Special Grant Fund balance (022-0000-253.20-00); and designate $67,400 to Overtime (account 022-6019-421.21-10; Traffic Enforcement Project GP0119), and $1,800 to Training & Development (022-6019-421.40-17; Training Project GP0119). It is further recommended that upon reimbursement, the funds be deposited into the Special Grants Fund, Other Revenue/Traffic & Alcohol Enforcement (022-0000-331.13-40).