MOUNT VERNON – Earlier this year the Knox County Sheriff’s Office applied for a grant titled, “High Visibility Enforcement Overtime 2014.” Tuesday, Sheriff David Shaffer announced in a news release that the Sheriff’s Office was awarded the grant totaling $32,874.38. This grant is made available through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office and appropriated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant will reimburse Knox County for deputies working overtime traffic enforcement. It also provides funding to use towards fuel purchases and educational activities. The grant runs from October 2013 through September 2014. The grant consists of required and elective times or blitzes throughout the next year. A total of seven hundred overtime hours will be used for the grant. Deputies will work enhanced special traffic enforcement in certain predetermined areas of the county during each blitz.
The goal of this grant is to try and reduce traffic-related fatal and serious injury accidents in Knox County. Some of the traffic issues deputies will be closely watching will be speed, seatbelt restraints, impaired driving, and distracted driving. The first blitz will cover Halloween, October 25th thru November 1st.
