In an effort to crack down on drunk driving, the Florence Township Police Department recently received a grant through the state’s Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund to help alleviate the cost of enforcement against this issue.
The grant is provided through a state-funded program put out annually based off money received in court cases where people are convicted for driving under the influence. The Florence police department applied for the grant earlier this year and as a result, received $6,936.40.
“It helps us offset the cost of enforcing against drunk driving,” said Florence police chief Brian Boldizar. “It’ll also help us with salary and paying for the officers that are out there on specific DUI patrol.”
According to a New Jersey State statute, police departments are entitled to $95 of the $100 surcharge resulting from a drunk driving conviction in their community.
With the township police department receiving a portion of these state funds, Chief Boldizar says this money will benefit the officers on duty during peak times throughout the year where drinking and driving occurrences arise.
“A lot of the times when we use this money, it’s during the peak drinking and driving holiday seasons like Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve or Fourth of July,” said Boldizar. “This money will help us be able to have additional officers out there looking for impaired drivers.”
Along with having additional funds to help pay salaries for officers on patrol during holiday hours, Boldizar says the money will also be allocated toward purchasing more equipment to further enforce drunk driving in the area.
In an effort to reach a target audience in the community, Boldizar also noted that the department will be sending an official person to the township’s Memorial High School this year during prom.
Utilizing money from the grant, the department plans to show a demonstration in order to address the seriousness of this issue for the high school’s parents and students.
“This year we also applied to go in with the township high school to do a presentation during prom,” Boldizar added. “Part of that money is going to go towards the fee of bringing someone in to do a presentation for parents.”