The V.I. Police Department received more than a quarter million dollars Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote highway safety.
The $286,365 grant from DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be distributed between the St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John districts, and 75 percent of the funds are dedicated to pay overtime for police officers conducting traffic initiatives to reduce drunken driving, speeding and other traffic infractions, according to a news release from the VIPD.
“These funds could not have come at a more opportune time,” said Police Commissioner Henry W. White Jr. “With the holidays upon us, including the Crucian Christmas Festival, residents and visitors on all three islands should be reminded to be safe on the roads.”
The grant traditionally provides federally funded overtime pay for VIPD officers who participate in patrols to deter drinking and driving. The grant provides funds for the annual Sober Rides campaign as well as public information and education messages.
Sober Rides will begin at the beginning of the opening of the Christiansted Village and continue through the closing of the Frederiksted village, according to the news release.
