TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Chief Javaro Sims, Police Department
THROUGH: Neal de Jesus, Interim City Manager
DATE: November 5, 2019
Title
APPROVAL OF GRANT APPLICATION AND AWARD/FDOT/SPEED/AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to Approve application for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) FY 19/20 Speed/Aggressive Driving Enforcement program.
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Background:
The Police Department is requesting approval to submit an application and accept an award for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) FY 19/20 Speed/Aggressive Driving Enforcement program. Funding from this grant provides for overtime salary for officers that will engage in speed/aggressive driving enforcement activities. The Delray Beach Police Department believes that this funding will help to provide the citizens of Delray Beach with safer roads.
FDOT’s Highway Safety Program is designed to develop, implement, and manage a data-driven comprehensive traffic safety program aimed at saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing related costs associated with traffic crashes on Florida’s roadways. The Delray Beach Police Department seeks to protect the citizens of the City by increasing education and enforcement of highway safety regulations. This grant will provide funding support for those efforts. During the duration of the program, the members of the Police Department's Traffic Division/Motors Unit will conduct high visibility enforcement at major intersections where the majority of crashes occur in the City of Delray Beach. The unit will deploy to documented roadways where speeding is a problem and vigorously conduct speed enforcement utilizing education, and through the issuance of warnings and citations.
In the past 3 years, from 2016 through 2018, the City of Delray Beach has seen a large increase in vehicular crashes that resulted in serious bodily injuries/fatalities. These crashes occurred due to speeding and aggressive drivers and the increase in residents and vacationers who visit the downtown area. Palm Beach County is currently ranked 2nd out of 26 counties in Group I for Speed/Aggressive Driving, which was published in the FDOT FY2020 Highway Safety Matrix-Ranking of Florida Counties. Delray Beach is currently ranked 5th out of 101 cities for Speed/Aggressive Driving, which was published in the FDOT FY2020 Highway Safety Matrix-Ranking of Florida Cities. The city of Delray Beach has been directly impacted by increased serious bodily injury/fatality crash trends and has averaged more than 9 traffic fatalities for the years 2016-2018. In the first two months of 2019 alone, Delray Beach has already recorded three traffic related fatalities. It is this agencies goal to increase safety awareness, reduce injury accidents and fatalities.
If FDOT approves our application, we will be awarded $50,000 for the education and enforcement efforts, however we are seeking approval to accept award up to amount of $65,000.
City Attorney Review:
Approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
The reimbursable overtime for FY 19/20 will be funded in 001-21-110-521.14-20 (Special Services - Reimbursable Overtime) account.