Monterey County District Attorney’s Office Awarded Grant from the Office of Traffic Safety for Specialized DUI Prosecution Team

Salinas, Calif. – Monterey County District Attorney’s Office will have a specialized prosecution team that handles alcohol and drug-impaired driving cases through a $526,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). “Impaired driving is a growing problem, particularly with drivers suspected of operating a vehicle under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, our county has a concerning number of under 21-year-old DUI drivers causing serious injury and fatal collisions” Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said. “This program allows us to focus specifically on holding those who decide to drive impaired accountable for their dangerous actions and to outreach and educate young drivers in an effort to prevent these tragedies from occurring.” The specialized prosecution team will also partner with the statewide Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Program (TSRP) to provide training to other prosecutors and investigators, as well as collaborate with law enforcement agencies on best practices handling and managing driving under the influence (DUI) cases. This is the This is the 10th year Monterey County District Attorney has received funding from the OTS for a specialized (DUI) prosecution program. Last year, the Monterey County District Attorney’s office filed 2343 DUI cases, including 229 DUI drug cases and 36 DUI combined alcohol and drug cases. There were 7 DUI related fatality cases filed. The grant program runs through September 2022. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.