New grants received by the Plainsboro Police Department will help cover the costs of additional patrols and drunk-driving checkpoints during the holiday season, among other activities.
In November the department received a grant from the state’s Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund (DDEF) in the amount of $13,907.94 for the period of July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. This follows up grant money from the DDEF received on February 9, when the Plainsboro PD was awarded a total of $32,140.73, two years worth of money covering the period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010, according to DDEF Coordinator Paul Groffie.
Although the grant money is post-dated the department can allow it to remain in an account or utilize any amount of it as needed, and not within any specified period of time. Police Chief Guy Armour said that this money typically lasts throughout the year as patrol work is posted for personnel according to “high drunk-driving enforcement times.” He explained how the new funds fit in perfectly for use during the holiday season.
“The grant assists police departments with providing overtime patrols, education and enforcement in regards to drunk driving. With extra patrols our guys will go out for drunk-driving enforcement on peak holiday season nights — typically Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in the months of November and December,” he said.
Armour added that a total of 40 drunk driving enforcement shifts have been posted as of Thanksgiving weekend. More shifts will be added, and there is additional grant money to cover those as well. Groffie said that through a separate grant the Plainsboro Police received another $5,000 to be allocated only within the period of December 5 to January 2. That grant money comes from the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign of the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety and is calculated for departmental use at a flat rate of $50 per hour for 100 hours of overtime.
Groffie said that the DDEF money is not restrictive to what a police department can pay for overtime. “They can use the DDEF grant in any way they choose, for whatever the overtime pay would be for each individual officer. It generally covers officers up to the level of lieutenant as usually a captain rank would not work those patrols, but perhaps be working at DUI checkpoints,” Groffie said.
— Plainsboro will also receive a federally-funded grant for new bullet-proof vests for officers. Chief Armour estimates the current price of each vest at $730, and Plainsboro has been allocated $3,800 in federal money while the state will provide about $1,500 in funding through a similar grant.
While all 35 officers in the department are equipped with vests Armour explained that the department replaces a portion of vests every five years but applies for grant money every year, enabling a rotation of vest replacements.
