Gov. Kay Ivey awards nearly $7M in statewide law enforcement grants

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday announced that she had awarded nearly $7 million in grants to be utilized toward enhancing highway safety.

According to the governor’s office, the grants were awarded in an effort to make Alabama roadways safer during peak travel times and to ensure the prosecution of offenders.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) will administer the grants made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and the state’s four regional traffic safety offices will utilize the funds to pay overtime expenses for local police officers, sheriffs’ deputies and state troopers who conduct extra patrols and checkpoints during the holiday season.

Ivey asserted that the grants would be instrumental in ensuring Alabama highways are secured as law enforcement prepares for increased traffic.

“In Alabama, we are funding our law enforcement community to ensure their efforts to protect our communities are supported,” the governor advised. “These grants will go a long way in reinforcing highway safety across our state. As we head into another peak travel time, that will be even more important. Ensuring public safety is one of the primary responsibilities of government and is a top priority for the Ivey Administration.”

ADECA director Kenneth Boswell stated his department’s support of Ivey’s efforts to support Alabama’s law enforcement community.

“ADECA stands with Governor Ivey, the four highway safety offices and local law enforcement agencies who are helping make Alabama’s roads safer for everyone traveling in our state,” proclaimed Boswell.

The awarded grants are as follows:

• $1.39 million to the Franklin County Commission for the North Central Alabama Highway Safety Office.
• $1.66 million to the city of Opelika for the East Central Alabama Highway Safety Office.
• $1.21 million for the Southeast Alabama Regional Highway Safety Office at Enterprise State Community College.
• $957,369 to the Mobile County Commission for the Southwest Regional Highway Safety Office.
• $1.54 million to ALEA for overtime costs associated with officers working extra shifts in areas with high volumes of speeding and impaired driving offenses.
• $183,106 to the Office of Prosecution Services to provide local law enforcement and prosecutors with a seasoned statewide prosecutor to assist in matters relating to traffic safety.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL