Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

County gets 'DWI' grant

The Nevada County Sheriffs Office has received a grant of $15,000 for DWI eradication, and Nevada County Sheriff Bobby Carlton said the grant is helping address the problem of DWIs in the county.

The grant was requested by the Nevada County Economic Development Office and is administered through the Arkansas Highway Safety office, according to EDO director Mary Godwin.

DWI, or driving while intoxicated, is cited as one of the major causes of traffic accidents. By law, DWI refers to both alcohol and drug consumption.

The grant pays for overtime for Nevada County Deputies who are willing to put in hours during the times when DWIs are more prevalent. Carlton said the incentive of time and a half pay means there are more officers on patrol during those times, and that there are enough officers available to set up sobriety and safety check points during weekend hours.

Those are our best way to enforce, Carlton said.

Carlton said there are multiple goals associated with the program. Officers are seeking to arrest those breaking the law by driving while under the influence of alcohol, but are also hoping to lessen the number of occurrences.

In order to comply with the terms of the grant, officers must report one DWI or DUI driving under the influence - arrest for every 12 hours of overtime logged. Carlton said the current numbers are more like one arrest for every nine hours.

The program is a step grant, meaning the county can apply for another grant when the current money expires in November.

The first year, they make sure youre working on the DWI problem, Carlton said.

The second step of the grant provides equipment that will help with DWI enforcement. That can include cameras for officer cars, Carlton said.

Godwin said the EDO had applied for a similar grant for the Prescott Police Department, but that the city didnt meet the criteria because there have been no recent alcohol-related fatalities.