This week, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit Sergeant Jason Haag and Sheriff Joseph Roybal addressed the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners about the importance of receiving the approval of two National Highway Transportation Safety Administration grants administered through the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Last year, the Traffic Safety Grant ($174,377.16) enabled our Office to fund deputies dedicated to reducing reckless, distracted, and speeding drivers on roads throughout the Pikes Peak region.
The Impaired Driving Grant ($178,683.84) enabled our Office to cover the salary of deputies conducting DUI/ DUID stops, keeping chemically impaired drivers off the roads, and holding them accountable for their criminal actions.
Additionally, these grants have helped to purchase speed-measuring equipment and dash cameras that assist in prosecuting traffic-related cases, including impaired and reckless driving.
“I am grateful to the County Commissioners for their continued support of my Office and our collaborative work to ensure the safety of citizens in El Paso County,” said El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal.
“These grants are critical to our mission and ensure my deputies have the equipment to address reckless and impaired driving on El Paso County roads. Our efforts are about saving lives and preventing the tragic loss of loved ones.
“I thank our local law enforcement agencies and partners at the Colorado Department of Transportation for their continued commitment to building awareness, educating, and enforcing Colorado traffic laws.”
“The Colorado Department of Transportation is thankful for the strong, growing relationship we share with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office,” said Colorado Department of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “The work necessary to diminish traffic deaths on Colorado roads requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and law enforcement in the Pikes Peak region is doing precisely that. It is our shared goal; through campaigns, enforcement, and awareness, we can drastically lower the traffic fatality rate in El Paso County.”
From October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, Traffic Safety Grant citations totaled 3,196 traffic stops, 3,202 traffic citations, and 29 reckless driving citations.
Impaired Driving Safety Grant citations issued from October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, 1,544 traffic stops, 78 DUI arrests, 51 DUID arrests (129 total), and 312 citations (high-level).
The total number of citations issued through the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office from October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, is 6,868.
The total number of DUI/DUID arrests through the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office from October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, is 279.
