Abilene, Texas – 2022 produced more fatal accidents than any other year in Abilene’s history. In an effort to reduce the number of fatal and serious crashes the Abilene Police Department has partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct grant-funded selective traffic enforcement programs.
The first program was Operation Slow Down. Which was conducted in June 2022. Starting in October the department began working with TXDOT again in a year-long comprehensive selective traffic enforcement program. Both of these grants targeted hazardous driving issues, particularly speeding.
The newest program will target drunk drivers and supplement the Department's ongoing traffic enforcement efforts. Officers working the DWI enforcement program will be doing so in an overtime capacity. However, since this program is conducted in partnership with TXDOT 80% of the funding will come from the federal government. This will allow the department to increase its staffing on the street while keeping the cost to the taxpayers at a minimum.
This new DWI enforcement program is broken up into four time periods. Each time period is scheduled around a major holiday. This enforcement period will start on March 3, and run through March 19, around Spring Break for area schools.
Respectfully,
Rick Tomlin
Public Information Coordinator