SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Police Department was recently notified that they’ve been awarded an $8,000 grant through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Office of Grants and Research in the Highway Safety Division.
Southwick was one of 93 police departments across the state to receive part of the $700,000 grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The $8,000 that the Southwick Police Department is receiving is geared towards pedestrian and bicycle safety. The department had never received a grant for pedestrian and bicycle safety in the past so Southwick Chief of Police Kevin Bishop has a plan for how to use this money.
“Bicyclists and pedestrians are at risk from the motoring public because they may not be immediately visible to drivers and unlike those in vehicles, nothing protects them in a crash,” said Bishop in a press release. “We’ll analyze crash data to identify crosswalks, intersections, and roadways where our enforcement efforts can yield the largest impact on pedestrian and bicyclist safety.”
Bishop also added that the funding will also be used towards educating people on pedestrian and bicycle safety as well as purchasing bicycle helmets for the youth in the community.
Southwick Police officer David Massai applied for the grant and Bishop said there was a clear reason for applying.
“We’re always seeking funding to increase safety programs for the Southwick Police Department,” said Bishop.
According to the Executive Office of Grants and Research, in 2015, pedestrian fatalities in Massachusetts increased by 8% from 2014 to 80 people from 74 people. Grants and Research also says that almost a third of pedestrian fatalities in the past five years have been caused by pedestrians being in non-crosswalk areas.
Looking at the data for bicyclists, Grants and Research mentioned that in 2015, there were nine bicyclist deaths in the state. During the span of 2011 to 2015, there were 44 bicyclist-related fatalities in Massachusetts.
