City police seek grant to reduce crash rate

By HAROLD KITCHING
Staff Writer

CASA GRANDE, Arizona - The Casa Grande Police Department is applying for a $56,970 state grant for traffic safety and needed equipment.

The application, to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, was approved unanimously during Monday’s City Council meeting.

According to the request, the department would use $10,000 for overtime expenses for drunken-driving checkpoints and enforcement and $46,970 for equipment allowing use of software known as TraCS, which is short for Traffic and Criminal Software and provided free by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The software allows officers to electronically issue tickets and write accident reports.

“Since the department vehicles are currently equipped with computers, the only equipment necessary to implement this system are scanners, printers and signature pads for each vehicle, with the exception of three which will need to be equipped with modems and computers,” the staff report accompanying the request says.