Sheriff's Office Awarded Grant for Traffic Safety Vehicle – Distracted Driving Enforcement

August 5, 2024

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office was awarded a traffic safety grant in April 2024 by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to conduct highly visible traffic enforcement from a vehicle with a higher vantage point. The funds directed the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office to purchase a specialized vehicle to be used by law enforcement officers to conduct traffic enforcement and education. Extra enforcement funds were also granted to conduct a special project enforcement this week to kick off the program.

“We are hopeful with this vehicle and the education and enforcement efforts that we will be able to make our roads here in Olmsted County safer. In the past we would have to do the best we could from low profile vehicles where it was more difficult to clearly identify people not practicing safe behaviors on our roads,” said Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson. “We expect to work with other agencies within Olmsted County and throughout the region conducting high-visibility efforts to maximize the vehicle’s use.”

Traffic fatalities:
Preliminary numbers show traffic fatalities are up more than 61 percent on Minnesota roads (Jan. 1 - July 11) compared to the same time last year.

  • 2024: 216 fatalities
  • 2023: 176 fatalities

Distracted driving:
Law enforcement agencies are participating in the statewide campaigns through extra enforcement and awareness campaigns called Towards Zero Deaths or TZD each year. The TZD program offers agencies to volunteer officers on overtime to work short shifts of enforcement randomly. This vehicle’s focus will be on distracted driving and seatbelts.

  • Distracted driving contributed to nearly 30,000 crashes in Minnesota from 2019-2023 (preliminary figures).
  • Distracted driving contributed to an average of 29 deaths and 146 life-changing injuries a year in Minnesota from 2019-2023.

Visit HandsFreeMN.org and DriveSmartMN.org for more statistics and safe driving information.

Other agencies statewide receiving these grants are listed below.

  • Orono Police Department
  • St. Paul Police Department
  • Blaine Police Department
  • Olmsted County Sheriff's Office
  • Eagan Police Department
  • Grand Rapids Police Department
  • Brooklyn Park Police Department
  • Washington County Sheriff's Office
  • Elk River Police Department
New Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Vehicle