CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 5 Section Name: {{section.name}} Account Number: 20-5150 File ID: {{item.tracking_number}} TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Police Department
MEETING DATE: November 06, 2023
SUBJECT:
Office of Traffic Safety – Appropriation and Grant Spending Plan RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution to approve a grant spending plan and appropriate funds for the Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant totaling $210,000 and authorize the Chief of Police to accept and execute the agreement and expend the funds.
BACKGROUND:
For several years, the federal and state governments, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Office of Traffic Safety, have awarded yearly grants to the San Mateo Police Department. The grants come with very specific spending criteria and require a resolution to approve the spending plans and appropriate the funds.
The success of this program hinges on high-profile enforcement and public awareness. The grant funds will enable the Police Department to conduct DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, targeted speed enforcement, red light enforcement, distracted driver enforcement, and other specialized enforcement programs. The funds will assist the Police Department in focusing its efforts on the primary collision factors (PCF’s) that lead to collisions.
The strategies used by the City of San Mateo will involve the “Three E’s” of traffic safety – Education, Enforcement, and Engineering, to further our City’s efforts towards reducing injury accidents. Specifically, for the Education component, SMPD traffic officers will conduct safety talks for seniors, as well as school age children regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety. For the Enforcement component, SMPD traffic officers will continue targeted enforcement at problem locations where injury collisions, especially auto-pedestrian collisions, have occurred in the past. For the Engineering component, SMPD will continue collaboration with the Public Works Department regarding engineering and design responses to problem locations. This involves meetings with Public Works personnel twice a month for study and implementation of new strategies to improve pedestrian safety.
The Office of Traffic Safety funds will primarily be used to staff overtime details for traffic enforcement and distracted driving enforcement with the objective of decreasing injury collisions and the threat of auto-pedestrian collisions. Other uses of the funds will include addressing DUI drivers through the staffing of DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation details, as well as the purchase of equipment including a DUI trailer and related supplies.
SMPD will also continue its collaboration with county-wide Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) programs whereby officers work with other San Mateo County law enforcement agencies as part of a traffic enforcement strike team that focuses on two cities at a time conducting high-profile enforcement at high-collision locations. SMPD officers will continue proactive traffic enforcement during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, the Click it or Ticket Campaign in May, and the AVOID (DUI Enforcement) operations throughout the year.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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Finally, to comply with grant requirements, SMPD will issue press releases, including using NIXLE, Nextdoor, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook over the grant term calling attention to the innovative program strategies and outcomes in furtherance of the grant and to enhance overall traffic safety. These will include a press release announcing the grant award and other press releases that call attention to proactive enforcement efforts against DUIs, basic traffic and motorcycle safety, and strategies to combat future auto-pedestrian collisions.
BUDGET IMPACT:
The Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant requires no matching funds and covers all contract and equipment expenditures. There is no impact to the General Fund and once appropriated, $210,000 in funds will be added to the Police Grant (Fund 200) budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This action is not a project subject to CEQA, because it can be seen with certainty that it will not cause a physical change in the environment. (Public Resources Code Section 21065.)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 - Proposed Resolution
Att 2 - Grant Agreement
STAFF CONTACT
Ed Barberini, Chief of Police
[email protected]
(650) 522-7600
Craig Collom, Traffic Sergeant
[email protected]
(650) 522-7742