21 northwest Ohio police agencies get U.S. traffic safety grants
10/17/2010The Toledo Police Department is among 21 agencies in northwest Ohio to receive federal traffic safety grants.
The grant to the Toledo police, $69,238, also is among 160 grants statewide totaling more than $10.9 million awarded through the Ohio Department of Public Safety's traffic safety office.
The Toledo grant will pay for officers' overtime pay during enforcement efforts. Police will focus on all major roadways in the city, paying special attention to locations with high numbers of fatal and other serious accidents, Lt. Jeff Sulewski said in a statement.
Agencies receiving overtime funding are required to take part in the national enforcement campaigns, "Click It or Ticket," and "Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest," said Kristen Castle, spokesman for the state department of public safety.
In addition to overtime grants, some grants are for general traffic enforcement, while others are for task forces for community traffic safety activities or operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Grant recipients include:
• In Allen County, the sheriff's office, $50,960, for high visibility enforcement overtime; the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission, $33,664, for safe communities, and the Shawnee Township Police Department, $95,386, for general enforcement.
• In Erie County, the sheriff's office, $36,280, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Henry County, the sheriff's office, $30,784, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Huron County, the sheriff's office, $30,988, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Lucas County, besides the Toledo police, the sheriff's office, $49,722, for high-visibility enforcement overtime and $158,052 for the operating a vehicle impaired task force; Oregon police, $33,090, for high-visibility enforcement overtime, and the county educational service center, $62,210, for safe communities.
• In Ottawa County, the sheriff's office, $22,836, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Putnam County, the sheriff's office, $29,638, for high-visibility enforcement overtime, and the educational service center, $23,400, for safe communities.
• In Sandusky County, the sheriff's office, $31,699, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Seneca County, the sheriff's office, $28,479, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Williams County, $23,000, for the health department in the safe communities program.
• In Wood County, the sheriff's office, $49,327, for high-visibility enforcement overtime; the Lake Township Police Department, $33,463, for high-visibility enforcement overtime, and the Perrysburg Township Police Department, $38,691, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.
• In Wyandot County, the sheriff's office, $26,675, for high-visibility enforcement overtime.