Cleveland Heights, Ohio—This week, the Cleveland Heights Police Department (CHPD) will continue its summer activities to reduce traffic fatalities.
From July 4-7, nine extra patrol officers will monitor driver speeds, control traffic, educate drivers about distracted driving, and detect and deter impaired driving.
From July 8-10, these officers will be assigned to ensure pedestrian and traffic safety as Cleveland Heights welcomes thousands of people to the 45th Annual Cain Park Arts Festival.
These efforts are funded through a $22,603 Summer Holiday Enforcement Program (SHEP) grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS).
SHEP grants are funded from U. S. Department of Transportation roadway safety funds that have been earmarked for local traffic-safety education, enforcement, and awareness and are part of Ohio’s efforts as a partner in the national program Toward Zero Deaths: A National Strategy on Highway Safety.
One tenet of Toward Zero Deaths is High Visibility Enforcement (HVE), an approach to traffic safety designed to deter unlawful traffic behaviors and encourage voluntary compliance with the law through proactive, high-visibility law enforcement and well-publicized public education. SHEP grant recipients agree to conduct HVE activities designed to reduce fatal crashes in their jurisdictions from April through September.
CHPD used a portion of its SHEP grant to fund similar activities in April and during the Memorial Day holiday. As students are returning to school during the end of August, CHPD will use SHEP funds to assign six additional patrol officers to late afternoon and evening shifts to detect, deter, and enforce alcohol- and drug-impaired driving as part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. This effort will continue through Labor Day Weekend.
“We are thankful for this grant award and the ongoing support the Cleveland Heights Police Department has received from Mayor Seren, City Council, and the community,” said Chief of Police Christopher Britton.
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