DPD awarded $19K traffic enforcement grant

Douglasville Police Department received the grant in recognition of its life-saving work as the coordinating agency of GOHS’s Western Region Traffic Enforcement Network. There are 16 traffic enforcement networks across the state that help enforce Georgia’s year-round safety belt, speed, and impaired driving campaigns.

“With the increase in the number of persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia and across the nation over the last year, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with partners like PAC to implement programs designed to stop the risky driving behaviors that are contributing to a majority of our serious-injury and fatality crashes,” Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “Many of the fatal traffic crashes on our roads are preventable, and we will continue to work with our educational and enforcement partners to develop programs and initiatives that are designed to get Georgia to our goal of zero traffic deaths.”

The Western Region Traffic Enforcement Network includes law enforcement agencies in eight counties, which include Douglas, Paulding, Haralson, Carroll, Heard, Coweta, Troup, and Meriwether counties.

Douglasville Police Chief Gary Sparks is excited about the department being involved with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Western Region Traffic Enforcement Network.

“These agencies coming together as one is a great way to help keep our communities safe,” Sparks said. “Along with increased traffic safety enforcement, our officers receive advanced training on techniques to reduce accidents.”

The coordinator in the Western Region traffic enforcement network will coordinate year-round waves of high visibility, concentrated patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints as a partner in campaigns such as Click It or Ticket, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and 100 Days of Summer HEAT.