The Lake Havasu City Police Department has received a financial boost in the form of grants from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, with the intention to amplify traffic enforcement and augment officers' training and equipment. A sum of $43,319.00 has been allocated for the fiscal year running from October 2024 through September 2025. In a recent announcement made public yesterday, the department detailed its plans to use these funds.
Breaking down the funds, $40,292.00 is assigned to the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P). This will facilitate overtime for personnel specifically targeting speed enforcement with new technology, including three Stalker Lidar units, and two Duel Directional radar systems, which are expected to enhance the department's capability to apprehend speeding vehicles. The additional grant of $3,072.00 is set to cover advanced accident investigation training for officers, as well as to underwrite the purchase of supplementary equipment. This approach by the LHCPD aims at curtailing speeding-related incidents, which are a significant contributor to both traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
Overtime operations focusing on speed enforcement are not just a response to incidents after they happen but are intended to prevent them before they occur. With aggressive driving and speeding being a perennial concern, the Lake Havasu City Police Department has reiterated its commitment to making the community's streets safer, not just through enforcement but also via public education and awareness initiatives. According to the department’s Public Information Officer, Detective Chris Angus, "Traffic safety is one of the most frequent concerns the police department hears from the community," according to a report from the Lake Havasu City official webiste.
As part of the grant's conditions, the Lake Havasu City Police Department is obligated to keep GOHS apprised through the submission of regular statistical data. This accountability metric serves as a means to track the effective deployment of resources and provide transparency regarding the impact of the grant-funded activities. The full details of the grants were reported in an article on the Lake Havasu City website, which can be accessed for further information.
