Agenda - Council - 09/14/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minnesota Department of Public Safety 2022 DWI Officer Request for Proposal The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is seeking proposals from law enforcement agencies for a full time DWI officer. The DWI officer will work the peak nights and times when drinking and driving occurs. This grant is federally financed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with impaired driving funds. Federal guidelines require this money be spent on projects designed to reduce DWI incidents. Because of this requirement, the DWI officer can only be funded for the enforcement of laws prohibiting driving while impaired. The DPS-OTS has a mandate to promote the safety of those who use public roadways. The NHTSA provides federal funding to the DPS-OTS to design and implement public education and traffic law enforcement programs to fulfill this mandate. The DPS-OTS and NHTSA seek to support traffic safety interventions that have been proven to reduce deaths and severe injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes. The DPS-OTS is committed to funding projects that have identified traffic safety problems with proposed enforcement strategies likely to alleviate those problems. Progress continues to be made in reducing the incidents of impaired driving, which unfortunately still remains an issue. In 2019, it was conservatively estimated by the National Safety Council that the cost of alcohol -related crashes in Minnesota was $284 million. In 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. Applicant agencies must have a sworn complement of at least 20 officers. The OTS is committed to funding programs that have identified traffic safety issues with proposed enforcement strategies likely to alleviate those problems. All enforcement grants support the statewide Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) safety program, which works to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota by supporting a goal of zero road fatalities. Therefore, it is a requirement of this grant that applying agencies have a 2021 enforcement grant. ENFORCEMENT DIRECTIVES The 2019 Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts data shows the hours between 5:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. as having the highest concentration of alcohol -related crashes. For that reason, to generate the greatest impact the DWI officer's work shift must be between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. The DWI Officer will be required to be on active patrol a minimum of two Fridays and two Saturdays per month as part of the DWI Officer's impaired driving enforcement. The DPS-OTS encourages the DWI Officer to wear a High Visibility Enforcement safety vest during patrol activities. The DPS-OTS encourages the DWI Officer (when on duty) participate alongside officers engaged in Saturation Enforcement Grant activities within the DWI Officer's home county. NOTE: The grant funding covers personnel only, equipment will not be included with the 2022 DWI Officer Grant, but will be a match amount criteria. The following days are required to be worked, unless the DWI officer is on paid leave: • October 30, 2021 • March 17 or 18, 2022 • May 14, 2022 • July 1 or 2, 2022 Earned Media: Through earned media, the public can become aware of your agency's full time DWI officer and the consequences of driving while intoxicated. If your agency would like to propose a publicity plan using earned media, please include a detailed narrative with the application. The earned media plan is optional; however, ifone is proposed it will be included in the evaluation of your application. Page 1 of 18