Local sheriff’s office awarded over $55K to crack down on impaired driving

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is looking to crack down on impaired driving in the Miami Valley.

The sheriff’s office was awarded an Impaired Driving Enforcement Program (IDEP) grant and a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant for the Fiscal Year of 2024.

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The grants will be used to combat offenses that result in serious injury and fatal crashes, according to the sheriff’s office.

Under the STEP grant, more than $55,000 will be used to combat speeds, seatbelts, and child restraint usage, reckless operations, and distracted driving offenses.

The sheriff’s office said $51,610.41 of the IDEP grant will be used to target impaired drivers.

There have been 43 fatal crashes in Montgomery County in 2023, 26 of those crashes have involved impaired drivers, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The sheriff’s office said they will use the grants to put deputies on the street to eliminate dangerous drivers from the road to reduce injuries and deaths.

The campaign will begin Oct. 1, 2023, and will run through Sept. 30, 2024.

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