Tacoma police cracking down on impaired driving. Here’s what to know
The Tacoma Police Department will ramp up its impaired-driving patrols this week thanks to a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the department said in a news release.
With the $215,516 grant finalized in January, TPD can now conduct proactive DUI enforcement seven days and seven nights a week, with an emphasis during times when crashes are more likely to happen, the Tuesday release said.
Though on-shift patrol officers respond to impaired-driving calls, the grant allows for two officers to be solely dedicated to traffic and DUI enforcement, resulting in faster responses to calls for service, TPD spokesperson Shelbie Boyd told The News Tribune.
“DUI arrests can be time-consuming and take an officer away from answering calls for service,” Boyd said. “Having two DUI officers who are experts in the processes of DUI’s will allow the patrol officer to go back in service.”
The funding also lets officers focus on drug-related DUIs, including THC and poly-drug use.
“As we near full staffing levels, we’re able to innovate and better serve Tacoma,” Police Chief Patti Jackson said in the release. “This Washington Traffic Safety Commission grant should help every neighborhood feel an increased sense of safety.”
The grant represents nine months of funding, with the option of renewing the grant for up to three years, Boyd said.
Tacoma saw 573 DUI offenses last year, according to the release. City leaders want to make that number zero.
That’s city council members adopted resolution “Vision Zero” in 2020, an initiative with a goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Tacoma by 2035.
“This is one of many steps that the City and Tacoma Police are taking to restore a sense of security in our neighborhoods, and to be better responsive to residents’ concerns,” Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen said in the release. “Expect more developments this year during the City budget process.”
