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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The state has awarded the Los Angeles city attorney's office $1.1 million as part of an Impaired Driving Prosecution Grant to target drunk drivers, officials announced Thursday.
"This grant from California's Office of Traffic Safety represents our shared commitment to keeping our roads safer," City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said in a statement. "Impaired driving is a threat to public safety and this grant will help hold those who commit this deadly and preventable crime accountable."
The OTS grant will help Feldstein Soto's Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Unit to prosecute alcohol and drug impaired driving drivers through September.
This specialized team will also continue to partner with the statewide Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Program to provide training to other prosecutors and investigators, and collaborate with law enforcement on best practices for handling and managing DUI cases, including data collection and evidence gathering.
This is the 12th year the state has awarded the city this grant, according to Feldstein Soto.
In 2023, the City Attorney's Office filed 5,389 cases against drivers in the city for allegedly driving under the influence. During the same time period, DUI-related crashes resulting in death increased by 32%, according to Los Angeles Police Department's 2023 end of year report on crime statistics.
"With various alternative transportation options available, there are zero excuses and zero tolerance for driving after drinking or under the influence of a drug," OTS Director Barbara Rooney said in a statement. "The work of the vertical prosecution team is critical in addressing the serious dangers posed by impaired driving."