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 $602,500 grant from the California Office of Traffic

Safety (OTS).

“Impaired driving continues to be is a growing problem for Monterey County. Drivers under the influence of

alcohol, cannabis or drugs pose a deadly threat to us all,” Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M.

Pacioni said. “This program allows us to dedicate two prosecutors 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 11th 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 2,736 DUI cases,

including 251 DUI drug cases and 37 DUI combined alcohol and drug cases.

The grant program runs through September 2023.

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

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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