The Antelope Valley Press reported that a grant was recently made to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for training in how to prosecute driving under the influence (DUI) cases.
The California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, awarded a $1.5 million grant to the Los Angeles County DA’s Office that is earmarked for the DUI Training and Prosecution Section. The funding will be used to provide proper training resources and tools for law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County, allowing local law enforcement agencies to certify more officers as drug recognition experts (DREs) in the area.
DREs are certified to recognize and articulate both drugs and their effect on people, identifying impaired individuals. The certification enhances their ability to testify credibly in court cases, helping deter impaired driving.
The Office Of Traffic Safety is partially funding a DRE-trained officer through the Los Angeles District Attorney Bureau of Investigation, and they will be available to deputy district attorneys for DUI-related cases.
The DUI Training and Prosecution Section (DTAPS) was created by the district attorney to reduce DUI-related accidents and fatalities. Since DTAPS was founded four years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has successfully utilized DTAPS to investigate and prosecute offenses involving driving under the influence cases.
