DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County Police Department got a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for 2025.
The grant, awarded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, is bringing $149,468 to the department to help it create new strategies to reduce or stop local traffic crashes by aggressive or dangerous driving behaviors.
The HEAT program is meant to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of driving under the influence, as well as increasing overall seatbelt use in the community.
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DeKalb County police said the HEAT grants are used by specialized traffic enforcement units all over Georgia and is used in areas with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. Funding for the grants is awarded based on data for impaired driving and speeding in the county.
“With the increase in the number of persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia and across the nation over the last year, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with partners like DeKalb County Police Department to implement programs designed to stop the risky driving behaviors that are contributing to a majority of our serious-injury and fatality crashes,” Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said. “Many of the fatal traffic crashes on our roads are preventable, and we will continue to work with our educational and enforcement partners to develop programs and initiatives that are designed to get Georgia to our goal of zero traffic deaths.”
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From 2018 to 2022, the most recent data available, GOHS said DeKalb County was the county ranked No. 2 for most traffic fatalities. In 2022, DeKalb County was accountable for 7% of all fatal crashes in the state, topped only by Fulton County.
The county saw 126 fatal crashes in 2022, a slight reduction after a spike in 2021 when 145 fatal accidents occurred.
The top 10 counties for crashes in 2022 were:
- Fulton County - 160
- DeKalb County - 126
- Cobb County - 69
- Gwinnett County - 66
- Clayton County - 59
- Bibb County - 51
- Henry County - 43
- Chatham County - 40
- Richmond County - 34
- Hall County - 32
DeKalb County PD is a partner in the statewide Operation Zero Tolerance DUI campaign as well as the Click It or Ticket seatbelt campaign. Throughout the year in 2025, DKPD will coordinate with GOHS to do mobilizations and “year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints.”
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