Just a day after the Bakersfield Police Department was awarded a $415,000 grant to crack down on DUIs in Kern County, the District Attorney's Office has received a special DUI prosecution grant.
This grant is worth $443,441 and will fund a vertical prosecution team that will work cases from arrest through to conviction and sentencing. Funding for the program comes from a grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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"This program has demonstrated success over the years we have partnered with OTS," District Attorney Lisa Green said. "Having a dedicated team of prosecutors ensures victims of impaired driving are seeing that individuals are held accountable for their choices."
In fatal and major injury DUI vehicle collisions, members of the team may now respond to the crash scene as part of their duties.
The purpose of the program is to prevent impaired driving and reduce alcohol and drug-impaired traffic fatalities and injuries. According to California Highway Patrol data, there were 49 deaths in 2013 and 385 serious injuries as a result of DUI crashes in Kern County.
"The Office of Traffic Safety and the Kern County District Attorney's Office will be working together to help keep the streets and highways safe across Kern County and the state."
