AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: BRAD KENNEALLY
CHIEF OF POLICE
SUBJECT:
title
PROPOSED ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM GRANT.
summary
Summary:
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) awarded the Signal Hill Police Department an $80,000 grant. The City’s awarded STEP grant funding would allow the Police Department to carry out traffic safety enforcement targeting primary collision factors that contribute to traffic collisions, including driving under the influence. The grant would offset the cost of police overtime, training, and related supplies.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
Goal No. 1 Financial Stability: Ensure the City’s long-term financial stability and resilience.
Goal No. 2 Community Safety: Maintain community safety by supporting public safety services and increasing emergency preparedness.
recommendation
Recommendation:
Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to accept grant funding agreement through the OTS STEP grant.
body
Fiscal Impact:
If the City Council approves the recommended actions, OTS would award the City a grant in the amount of $80,000 to be used during the period of October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, to offset related expenditures. Staff estimated the OTS amount at $80,000 during the budget process which the Finance Department recognized as revenue for the current fiscal year.
Background and Analysis:
The Police Department has been successful in securing OTS grants since the early 1990s to fund training, enforcement activities, and the purchase of traffic safety equipment such as a DUI trailer, preliminary alcohol screening devices, traffic calming devices, and radar trailers. The State accepts OTS grant applications starting in January, and it makes award selections between July and August each year. Upon OTS review and determination, grant awards are made based primarily on traffic safety data contained in the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).
City’s Grant Award
The City’s awarded STEP grant funding would allow the Police Department to carry out traffic safety enforcement targeting primary collision factors that contribute to traffic collisions. The eligible grant-funded enforcement activities and/or covered direct costs include:
• Maintaining a “DUI BOLO” program to notify patrol and traffic officers to be on the lookout for identified repeat DUI offenders with a suspended or revoked license due to DUI convictions
• DUI/driver’s license checkpoints and enforcement patrols
• Patrols for traffic enforcement
• Traffic enforcement operations targeting drivers using a handheld cell phone
• Motorcycle safety enforcement operations
• Traffic safety educational presentations
• Pedestrian and bicycle enforcement operations
• DUI Checkpoint on-scene supplies
The grant would also provide funding and travel costs for police officers to attend the following classes:
• Advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement training (16 hours)
• Standardized field sobriety testing training (16 hours)
• Drug Recognition Expert training (80 hours) and recertification
If approved by the City Council, the City would accept the grant and begin conducting eligible grant funded enforcement and education activities this year. The State provided a Grant Agreement that, subject to City Council authorization, the City Manager can sign to receive the funding. Staff has attached the Grant Agreement for the City Council’s review (Attachment A).
Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Siamlu Cox
Attachments:
A. Office of Traffic Safety Grant Agreement