San Rafael, CA – Marin County District Attorney's Office received a $225,500 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a special team to prosecute alcohol and drug-impaired driving cases.
“Marin County is safer thanks to the hard work and experience of our Vertical DUI Prosecution Team (VDPT). Our VDPT would not be possible without the generous funding from the Office of Traffic Safety, which provides the necessary financial means to successfully prosecute serial DUI drivers and to keep Marin highways and streets safe for all drivers and pedestrians. By renewing our grant funding for the upcoming fiscal year, OTS has allowed us to continue this critically important public safety program,” District Attorney Lori E. Frugoli said.
“If you drink or use drugs and decide to drive, you put lives at risk,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “This funding from the OTS makes sure that those who make the choice to drive under the influence are held accountable for their actions.”
In addition to funding a full-time Deputy District Attorney as a Vertical DUI Prosecutor, funding will be used to:
- Develop protocols for handling cases through every step of the criminal process.
- Provide training for prosecutors and investigators through California’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Program.
- Host quarterly regional meetings with law enforcement partners to improve DUI investigations and prosecutions.
This is the ninth year the Marin County District Attorney's Office has received funding from the OTS for a DUI prosecution program. Last year, the Marin District Attorney's Office filed a total of 855 DUI cases, including 88 DUI drug cases, 16 DUI combined influence cases, and 751 DUI alcohol cases.
The grant program runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.