A $300K grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to the Los Angeles County Probation Department will be making sure that the worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders are complying with all court orders, according to probation department officials.

“Felony and repeat misdemeanor DUI offenders are over represented in traffic crashes involving alcohol and other drugs, often with tragic results,” according to probation department officials. “This grant has enabled LA County Probation to conduct more than 1,300 contacts with probationers who have a history of DUI offenses.”

“Those contacts were unannounced to reinforce our expectations of compliance.  Furthermore our grant funded DUI Unit is able to provide intensive, quality supervision and achieve 99 percent compliance with our DUI-related clients,” said probation department officials. “This compliance is critical to public safety, not just during the Holidays but year round.”

About the grant:

The Intensive Probation Supervision for High-Risk Felony and Repeat DUI Offenders grant is aimed at reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related collisions in the county.  In 2012, 235 were killed and 6,207 injured in such crashes in Los Angeles County.

The grant will fund officers to intensely monitor drivers on probation for felony DUI or multiple misdemeanor DUI convictions.  Supervision for these high-risk offenders will include:

• Unannounced home searches 

• Random alcohol and drug testing

• Special monitoring to ensure compliance with court-ordered DUI education and treatment programs

“California’s roadways are still among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft.  “But to meet future mobility, safety, and sustainability objectives, we must create safer roadways for all users.”

The Los Angeles County Probation Department will be using these and other resources to reach the vision we all share – Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.

Funding for the grant is from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SCV News contributed to this story.