Felony and repeat misdemeanor DUI offenders are over represented in traffic crashes involving alcohol and other drugs, often with tragic results. A $315,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to the Los Angeles County Probation Department will be making sure that these high-risk felony or repeat offenders are complying with all court orders.

“The Los Angeles County Probation Department has been a recipient of this Office of Traffic Safety grant for various years, and is grateful to the State for this support as it enables us to continue providing dedicated officers who work collaboratively with other agencies to promote public safety and ensure victims’ rights,” said Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers.

The grant will fund officers to intensely monitor drivers on probation for felony DUI or multiple misdemeanor DUI convictions. Supervision for these high-risk offenders will include:

Unannounced home searches
Random alcohol and drug testing
Special monitoring to ensure compliance with court-ordered DUI education and treatment programs

The Intensive Probation Supervision for High-Risk Felony and Repeat DUI Offenders grant is aimed at reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related collisions in the county. In 2013, 246 were killed and 6,338 injured in such crashes in Los Angeles County.

“Overall, California’s roadways are among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “But to meet future mobility, safety, and accessible transportation objectives, we have to work very hard together to reach our common goal – zero deaths on our roadways. The Office of Traffic Safety and the Los Angeles County Probation Department want to work with everyone to create a culture of traffic safety across the Los Angeles County and the state.”

Funding for the grant is from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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