Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes an agreement with the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), State of Ohio, for the FFY 2019 Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Regional Coordinators Grant, and appropriates funds to cover the costs of the program. A drug recognition expert or drug recognition evaluator (DRE) is a police officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol. In the Spring of 2017, the State of Ohio appointed (5) DRE Regional Coordinators assigned to oversee DRE call-out activities and reporting, and to provide expert witness testimony, DRE training, DRE re-certification classes, and DRE re-certification audits for their assigned regions, as well as attend OTSO DRE meetings and the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference on Drugs, Alcohol, and Impaired Driving. The State of Ohio recognized the need to minimize the fiscal burden to law enforcement agencies covering costs for a state-appointed DRE Regional Coordinator. So, the 2019 grant is awarded to the City of Columbus Division of Police to cover up to 500 overtime hours and costs associated with the State of Ohio Region 6 DRE Regional Coordinator state-assigned duties. Region 6 covers all DREs in Franklin, Licking, Fairfield, Pickaway, Madison, Delaware, and Morrow counties.
This grant agreement authorizes reimbursement for overtime costs to review and approve all drug evaluations in the assigned region, develop and teach (1) DRE re-certification class, and provide post-arrest DRE support when required. The funding for the agreement is dependent on federal funds from the US Department of Transportation for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 and follows the fiscal year period, October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019. The grant award effective period is October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency legislation is necessary to make funds available for the gra...
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