News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
State grant funding equaling $110,000 coming down to multiple Upper Cumberland law enforcement agencies for highway safety.
Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph said the $15,000 his department received will help with impaired driving enforcement.
“We’ve been getting that grant for several years, and we use it for overtime during saturation to work DUI stops,” Randolph said. “The other part can be used to buy equipment and that’s how we replace our car cameras that get outdated.”
Randolph said the money is set to come to the department in October. Randolph said paying officers overtime can sometimes be difficult, so the funding comes at a good time.
“Times are a whole lot harder, and a lot of municipalities won’t pay any overtime, so this allows us to work the overtime and not cost the tax payers any money,” Randolph said.”
Others across the region will also benefit. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department received $45,000 for traffic control. Crossville Police Department also got $20,000 for impaired driving enforcement.
Both Spencer and Van Buren County’s law enforcement got $5,000 for increased police visibility. Fairfield Glade Police Department will improve safety for older drivers with its $20,000.
The grant awards will be disbursed by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO). The grants are provided to agencies that successfully applied for funding that meet the required data-driven criteria and highway safety standards.
