Sheriff's Office

PR #:
2000153
Date Issued:
Nov 11, 2020 - 7:00AM

For Immediate Release

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office will use Office of Traffic Safety grant to help fight impaired driving

For media inquiries contact:
Sarah Johns
Washoe County Sheriff's Office
Office: 775-785-6235
Cell: 775-391-0407

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office today announced it has been awarded $35,000 from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety for targeted traffic patrols. The grant funding will go towards impaired driving saturation patrols to be held on Friday and Saturday nights from November of 2020 – October of 2021.

“There is no excuse for driving under the influence and yet it remains one of the greatest threats to public safety,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

“Washoe County has recently seen a noticeable increase in impaired driving, especially on weekends. Over the course of the last month alone, our community has had 12 impaired driving crashes occur on either a Friday or Saturday night – a 40-percent increase over the same timeframe in 2019.

 “These grant funds from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety are vital to our Office’s ability to utilize targeted saturation patrols to get impaired drivers off the road. Each impaired driver that deputies identify and remove from the road is a potential life saved,” Balaam concluded. “I am thankful to the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety for providing this grant to the Sheriff’s Office for the second year in a row.”

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to preserving a safe and secure community with professionalism, respect, integrity and the highest commitment to equality. Sheriff Darin Balaam is the 27th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County since the Office was created in 1861. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office strives to ensure public safety by building trust and creating partnerships within the diverse communities in which we serve. We will promote the dignity of all people supported by our words and actions through open communication while fostering an environment of professionalism, integrity and mutual respect.

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