The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has awarded the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office a $266,738 grant for the “DUI/DUID Misdemeanor Prosecution, Education and Outreach” program.  This program focuses on reducing the number of persons killed or injured in DUI (driving under the influence) / DUID (driving under the influence of drugs) crashes, through successful prosecution of DUI/DUID cases as well as law enforcement trainings and community outreach.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

With a population of 1.53 million in Sacramento County and over one-half million residing in the City of Sacramento alone, the number of DUI/DUID cases filed by the Sacramento County DA’s Office is significant.  In 2020, the Sacramento County DA’s Office filed 263 felony and 3,954 misdemeanor DUI/DUID cases.

The need for offender and community prevention outreach is also essential.  OTS ranked Sacramento County fifth out of 58 counties in victims killed and injured in crashes involving alcohol in 2018 with a 19% increase from 2014 to 2018 in these cases.

This grant funds a full-time prosecutor who will specialize in misdemeanor DUI/DUID cases; mentor newly appointed prosecutors on the successful prosecution of DUI/DUID cases; provide training to law enforcement agencies on new DUI/DUID laws and investigation techniques; provide outreach on DUI/DUID prevention to adults and youth to include podcasts; and distribute informational materials to those charged with DUI/DUID offenses in an effort to prevent repeat DUI offenses.

“Experience and knowledge are critical for prosecutors to build successful impaired driving cases,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “This program provides resources, tools and a strong training network for DUI prosecution teams that hold people who drive under the influence accountable for their actions.”

“Our office saw a decrease in the number of DUI/DUID filed cases in 2020, likely due to the COVID-19 closures of bars, nightclubs and sporting venues,” said District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. “As the Sacramento region recovers from COVID-19 and businesses fully re-open, we will likely see DUI/DUID cases increase. Thanks to our ongoing partnership with OTS, we are continuing to educate the public about the dangers of driving while impaired even as our community is still experiencing the impacts of the pandemic.”

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