Long Beach
Police Department

The safety of everyone traveling is the focus of a grant awarded to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). The $380,000.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will assist in the LBPD's efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Long Beach roads.

“These are trying times, and now more than ever, it is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” LBPD Sergeant Steve Smock said. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant is for the 2022 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022.

The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including: 

• Patrols with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law
• Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes
• Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety
• Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities
• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)

“Through education and behavior changes, we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road users in our community,” Sergeant Smock said.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.