The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has secured a $3.4 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, aimed primarily at staunching the persistent issue of drugged and drunk driving. According to a recent press release, these funds will bolster the multi-day impaired driving courses remarkably, providing law enforcement officers across the state with advanced training to pinpoint drivers under the influence of drugs.
After the decriminalization of marijuana in 2016, California has seen a significant uptick in drug-impaired driving cases. These grants, partitioned into $1,568,500 for the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program and $1,800,000 for the California Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Network, are a response to this growing concern. “Drugged and drunk driving has reached crisis levels here in Orange County and throughout California – and innocent people are dying,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer highlighted. He underscored the dedication of his team to reversing this deadly trend through cutting-edge training and accountability measures.
This year alone, more than 750 DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs) and combination cases were brought to court, resulting in over 600 convictions, a stark demonstration of the pressing need for such specialized programs. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office’s approach involves having eight designated DUID prosecutors who handle cases from start to finish in the region, promoting expertise and diligence in prosecution for these complex cases…