DUI Enforcement Efforts to Continue With Grant Funding

A grant will allow a state agency to continue two programs aimed at combating driving under the influence cases.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety is the recipient of a traffic safety H.E.A.T. grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

The grant is for approximately $3.16 million, and will provide funding to continue the Georgia State Patrol Nighthawks DUI Task Force and Administrative License Suspension program.

The grant went into effect on October 1, 2016 and will continue until September 30, 2017.

The primary goals of H.E.A.T, or Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic program, are to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding; to increase seatbelt use; and to educate the motoring public on traffic safety and the dangers of driving under the influence.

The ALS program and the GSP Nighthawks DUI Taskforce were created in 2004. Through the ALS program, state troopers receive training, legal assistance, and in some cases, legal representation as they testify at ALS hearings for people charged with driving under the influence.

Meanwhile, the GSP Nighthawks DUI Task Force is composed of three teams of troopers who have undergone specialized training in impaired driving enforcement that patrol numerous areas around the state including Athens-Clarke County.