GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Police Department was awarded an $11,955 grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Office of Grants and Research to increase the number of traffic enforcement patrols.

 

Funding will cover five traffic enforcement campaigns in December, May and April and two next summer. Emphasis will be on impaired driving, distracted driving and speeding.

 

The department recently purchased a new speed trailer that is being used to gather statistics to help determine times and locations where grant patrols will do the most good. With three bridges under repair, more and more traffic is being diverted to residential neighborhoods and police are addressing that.

 

The grant also covers training for an accident reconstructionist, which requires six weeks of rigorous classroom and field study. Upon completion, the officer can present evidence and testify in court as an expert in accidents involving serious and fatal injuries.