Adopt Resolution #21-262 to Approve Acceptance of a Grant for Dedicated DWI Enforcement.

The Police Department has been participating in a grant that began January 1st, 2021 from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) that funds a full-time DWI officer for the last three quarters of the 2021 federal fiscal year. This grant is set to expire September 30th, 2021. In June, the Police Department applied for the grant again to continue having a full-time DWI officer. On August 16th, the Police Department was notified that the City of Ramsey was awarded the grant to cover all four quarters of the 2022 federal fiscal year (October 1st, 2021 through September 30th, 2022). The award is currently estimated at $114,397.14 of reimbursement funds; covering full-time wages, fringe benefits, and any potential overtime. The DWI officer works on local roads during peak nights and times when drinking and driving occurs, targeting traffic and DWI enforcement.

Federal guidelines require the money to be spent on projects designed to reduce DWI incidents. Progress continues to be made in reducing the incidents of impaired driving. All enforcement grants are part of the traffic safety program called Toward Zero Deaths (TZD), which works to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota by supporting a goal of zero road fatalities. Unfortunately since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people being killed on the roadways has increased. However, since the Police Department's participation in the DWI officer grant on January 1st, 2021 through August 22nd, 2021, the DWI officer has made 1,010 traffic stops, 50 arrests (31 for DWI), towed 45 vehicles and issued citations for numerous traffic violations. It will never be known how many lives may have been saved by the hard work of the DWI officer since the beginning of the grant.

In 2019, it was conservatively estimated by the National Safety Council that the cost of alcohol-related crashes in Minnesota was $284 million. The same year, 23 percent of serious injuries sustained in crashes and 32 percent of traffic crash fatalities were alcohol-related. To address this ongoing issue, the Office of Traffic Safety will continue to offer a program supporting full-time officers dedicated to DWI enforcement and traffic safety. Only agencies from the top fifteen counties with the most impaired-related deaths and serious injuries are eligible for grant funds. Unfortunately, Anoka County is one of these fifteen counties. The goal listed in Ramsey's application is to reduce dunk driving-related deaths and alcohol-related suspected serious injuries.

The current staffing level will allow the Police Department to participate in this grant. The Police Department will not need to hire any additional officers solely for this position due to the continuation of the 2021 DWI officer into 2022. There may be additional opportunities in the future years to continue to apply for this grant. There will be minimal funding by the city to pay for any non-traffic enforcement related activities. This occurs when the DWI officer assists patrol officers on high priority incidents. Once the incident is under control, the DWI officer then switches back to grant funded pay.

This grant is funded for 12 months, beginning October 1st, 2021 and ending September 30th, 2022 (following the federal fiscal year). The grant is federally financed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with impaired driving funds. There may be future opportunities to apply for another grant to continue funding, however, it is not guaranteed that the Ramsey Police Department would be awarded again.

There will need to be enough money allocated in the wage budget to cover the last quarter of 2022 (Oct-Dec) in case the police department does not receive funding for the 2023 federal fiscal year.

Staff recommends the city council authorize the police department's participation in the grant program, with the understanding that if the funding ends after this year the DWI officer would be included in the 2023 budget.

Motion to adopt Resolution #21-262 to approve acceptance of a grant for dedicated DWI enforcement.