Gov. Ivey awards $5.6 million to enhance Public Safety

Published 10:00 am Friday, February 10, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced that she has awarded $5.6 million in grants to support statewide programs designed to increase public safety on Alabama’s highways and in the state’s communities.

“Public Safety is a core mission of my Administration. Our state, regional, county and municipal law enforcement officers do a tremendous job keeping our state and her communities safe,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these grants to support the programs that help our officers receive the training and resources needed to fulfill their mission to serve and protect our communities and our highways.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice. ADECA manages a wide array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, energy conservation, water resource management, economic development and recreation.

Email newsletter signup

“ADECA stands with Governor Ivey in support of our state and local law enforcement agencies who are helping make Alabama safer,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.

Highway Safety

Governor Ivey awarded grants totaling more than $5 million to support the efforts to make Alabama’s roads safer by preventing injuries and fatalities. The state’s four regional traffic safety offices will cover overtime for police officers, allowing state troopers and sheriffs’ deputies to conduct extra patrols and checkpoints during peak travel times targeting speeding, seat belt violations and impaired driving. The University of Alabama will use a grant to continue projects and programs that help collect traffic safety data for the state.

4$1.42 million to the Franklin County Commission for the North Central Alabama Highway Safety Office. The office serves Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Marion, Morgan, Pickens, Walker and Winston counties.

4$1.66 million to the city of Opelika for the East Central Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore, Etowah, Jefferson, Lee, Macon, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.

4$1.14 million for the Southeast Alabama Regional Highway Safety Office at Enterprise State Community College. The office serves Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery, Pike, Russell and Tuscaloosa counties.

4$993,266 to the Mobile County Commission for the Southwest Regional Highway Safety Office which serves Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Perry, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox counties.

4$203,558 to the University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety which uses funds for technology development projects that improve data quality, timeliness, completeness and the efficiency of officers and emergency medical services personnel across the state.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Secretary Hal Taylor commended Gov. Ivey and ADECA for their steadfast support, as well as recognizing the critical role these grants will play in ensuring law enforcement is properly equipped.

“We are grateful for the unwavering support of Gov. Ivey, as well as the support from ADECA, to assist law enforcement with the funds needed to continuously provide an enhanced layer of protection and service for all. These funds greatly impact our operations and enable our Troopers to actively patrol and work numerous high-visibility details on our state’s roadways, ultimately reducing the number of crashes and traffic fatalities,” Taylor said.