Ohio troopers use federal funds to cover holiday overtime
12/25/2011COLUMBUS — The State Highway Patrol says it’s using federal traffic safety funding to pay overtime for troopers providing an increased presence on Ohio roadways this holiday season.
A patrol spokeswoman tells The Plain Dealer in Cleveland that troopers are especially watching for drunken drivers this weekend as people are celebrating. The spokeswoman says that federal funding, not state money, will be used to pay for overtime.
The newspaper says the patrol got $1.9 million in federal traffic safety funding this fall through the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services.
The patrol says the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day can be one of the most dangerous for Ohio drivers. During that period last year, more than three dozen people died in accidents that involved alcohol.