III. Program Description

B. Enforcement

The Governor’s Highway Safety Office offered grants for conducting sobriety checkpoints and purchasing needed equipment to local police agencies and the State Police for three separate grant periods.  There were two holiday grants and one expanded grant for sustained enforcement between the holiday periods.

Connecticut State Police (CSP) is organized into 11 troops and has statewide jurisdiction with respect to traffic enforcement and sole jurisdiction on limited access highways.  Troops provide primary police response on all roadways in 18 of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns and provide “resident troopers” to an additional 63 towns.  Municipal police departments serve the remaining 88 cities and towns.  Both State and municipal police played important roles in achieving the goals of the impaired-driving publicity and enforcement campaign.

The State Police and local police agencies received grant funds for enforcement during each holiday period and the expanded grant period.  Law enforcement agencies receiving grant funds were asked to report on their enforcement efforts, including the number of sobriety checkpoints held and equipment purchased as well as any results from enforcement activities including the number of DWI arrests and average BAC at time of arrest.