Ogle County Sheriff Dept. receives traffic enforcement grant

Ogle County Sheriff’s Office awarded Illinois Department of Transportation traffic enforcement grant

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office today announced it has been awarded a Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program grant to conduct additional traffic safety efforts.

The STEP program focuses on high-visibility enforcement and strategies aimed at saving lives and preventing injuries by reducing traffic crashes.

“We’re pleased to receive this grant to step up our road safety efforts with the goal of saving lives,” said Sheriff Brian VanVickle.

“Our mission is to make travel safer through directed, proactive patrols and to stop, cite and arrest those who choose to violate traffic laws.”

During the STEP grant year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023, the Sheriff’s Office will conduct additional enforcement efforts to supplement mandatory and optional campaign enforcement dates scheduled during some of the deadliest times of the year.

The supplemental efforts will focus on the leading contributory causes of crashes: speeding, impaired driving, electronic device use, failure to yield, and disobeying traffic control signals, as well as occupant restraint violations.

The STEP grant is funded by federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.