Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that 15 counties in southwest Alabama would receive a portion of $1.2 million in grant funding to improve traffic safety.

 

Dallas County was among those to receive a piece of the grant, alongside Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Perry, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox counties.

 

“These grants provide the necessary resources to put more law enforcement officers on our highways and ensure that motorists who put themselves and others at risk are caught and pay the penalty,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these funds to support our police officers and sheriff’s deputies who work tirelessly to increase safety on our roads.”

 

The Southwest Regional Highway Safety Office will disperse funds to local law enforcement agencies to bolster statewide safety campaigns, such as “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” and assist with traffic safety operations aimed at reducing crashes or traffic violations in specific locations, specifically during busy travel periods.

 

Funds will be allocated to police and sheriff’s departments based on data from the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety, which pinpoints “hot spots” or areas prone to wrecks, speeding or reckless driving.

 

The grants are being administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) from funds made available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

 

The department administers a wide range of programs to support law enforcement across the state, as well as victim programs, economic development, recreation and more.

 

“Gov. Ivey and ADECA are committed to making Alabama roads safe and ensuring that everyone is obeying our traffic laws,” said ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell.

 

Selma Police Department (SPD) Acting Chief Robert Green said the funds are handed down annually to help areas crack down on bad behavior on the road and the SPD will be participating in all of the upcoming statewide traffic initiatives.

 

Though he doesn’t know how much the SPD will collect from the grant, Green noted that it’s a boon for the department as it provides funding for overtime for patrol officers to hit the streets during high-traffic times.

 

No other law enforcement agencies in Dallas County were aware of the funding – Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum stated that he had not been informed of any funding from ADECA, while Judge Maggie Drake Peterson, who is heading up the local “Weed and Seed” initiative, and Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson both stated that they knew nothing of the new funding.

 

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Public Information Officer Reginal King did not respond to a request for comment.