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Grant Info and Timeline

ABOUT THE MINI-GRANT The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), funds sobriety checkpoints throughout California. The goal is to reduce the number of victims killed and injured in alcohol-impaired crashes in participating cities. OTS awards mini-grants on a competitive basis using several criteria including performance on previous grants, the number of alcohol-impaired fatalities and injuries, and the value of the funding requested. Highly publicized enforcements during the NHTSA-specified Winter Holiday and Labor Day Mobilization periods are a priority for OTS and NHTSA. The Winter Holiday Mobilization period is in December 16, 2011 - January 1, 2012; and the Labor Day Mobilization period is August 17 – September 3, 2012. In addition to conducting checkpoints during these periods, agencies are encouraged to request personnel overtime funding for additional checkpoints outside the mobilization periods. The University of California, Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) will administer and coordinate the mini grants for OTS. OTS will make the funding decisions. Funding will be awarded to state and local law enforcement agencies which, collectively: a) serve at least 50 percent of California’s population or b) serve geographic subdivisions that account for at least 50 percent of California’s alcohol-impaired fatalities. MINI-GRANT PERIOD The mini-grant period is November 1, 2011 through September 4, 2012. This period cannot be extended. ELIGIBILITY The Sobriety Checkpoint Program mini-grants are awarded only to cities with populations in excess of 20,000. Each mini-grant is awarded through a contract between the Regents of the University of California and the mini-grantee. All funding decisions are made by OTS.   COSTS THE MINI-GRANT COVERS Mini-grantees are reimbursed for the actual overtime cost for checkpoint operation(s) up to the contractual cost per checkpoint and up to the award amount. Mini-grantees also are reimbursed for specific pre-approved checkpoint supplies. The total reimbursement will not exceed the award amount. A mini-grant covers actual overtime costs for supervisors (e.g. sergeants, corporals) officers/deputies, dispatchers, and administrative personnel (e.g. community services officers and clerical personnel). Supervisors and officers/deputies must be assigned solely to sobriety checkpoints. Dispatchers must be assigned solely to the sobriety checkpoint overtime shifts. Clerical personnel, including CSO’s must be assigned solely to sobriety checkpoint administrative duties (i.e., clerical hours for entering payroll data would not be covered). Only benefits accrued from overtime hours would be covered (i.e., retirement, medical/dental/vision insurance, uniform allowances would not be covered). Only state-run disability and unemployment insurance charges are covered. Indirect costs are not covered (e.g., individuals who are contracted by the police department). OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS The Checkpoint Operation Supervisor(s) must attend OTS-sponsored "DUI Checkpoints – Planning and Management" eight-hour, POST-certified training by December 31, 2011 (this is waived if the supervisor has already attended the training). Officers are encouraged to attend this training as well. Mini-grantees must attend a regional OTS new grantee orientation meeting (typically scheduled in November or December). All checkpoints must be conducted after 1800 hours. If possible and practicable, mini-grantees should operate checkpoints until 0200-0300 hours. To enhance public awareness and visibility, cities with portable changeable message signs should deploy them at the checkpoint site using the "DUI/Driver's License Checkpoint Ahead" message. Mini-grantees must issue a press release prior to each checkpoint operation. Agencies must collect and report checkpoint statistics data on-line to receive reimbursements. Agencies must submit data by the deadlines established by the SafeTREC for checkpoints conducted during the Winter and Labor Day mobilization periods, as well as checkpoints conducted outside the two mobilization periods. Mini-grantees should inform their OTS DUI AVOID County Coordinator of planned checkpoints at least fourteen (14) days in advance of the operation. PUBLICITY REQUIREMENTS SafeTREC will provide OTS press release templates for the grantees to publicize their kick-off and individual checkpoint operations, respectively. Mini-grantees must: If a department elects to combine a Driver License (DL) checkpoint with a Sobriety checkpoint, the department must: 1) inform the public (via the press release) that driver licenses will be checked and 2) in accordance with the California Attorney General's Office, set up all DUI/DL checkpoint operations with signs (reading, "DUI/Driver License Checkpoint Ahead"). Distribute a separate press release for each checkpoint operation unless multiple checkpoints are to be conducted within a seven (7) day period, in which case one press release covering the seven (7) day period will suffice. Send a draft of the press release to pio@ots.ca.gov for approval if the mini-grantee elects not to use the OTS template. OTS requests submission as early as possible to ensure adequate approval turn-around time and time for the mini-grantee to distribute the release to all media outlets. Optimum lead time would be 10-20 days prior to the operation. Submit to SafeTREC copies of all newspaper articles and short descriptions of broadcast news stories which relate to checkpoint operations or results. 2011-2012 SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT MINI-GRANT PROGRAM TIMELINE December 31, 2011 Deadline for completing OTS training. December 17, 2011–January 2, 2012 Winter Holiday Mobilization Period. August 17–September 3, 2012 Labor Day Mobilization Period. October 15, 2012 Deadline for submitting final claim. Claims submitted after this date and claims where supporting documentation is not complete by this date may not be processed.   Key SafeTREC contact info: Adrienne Moore (510) 643-7625 Shar Rauch (510) 643-1774 Fax: (510) 643-9922 Email: checkpoint@berkeley.edu