The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a nation-wide campaign to combat intoxicated driving this holiday season. The goal of the crackdown is to help police agencies throughout the country mobilize during the holiday season, as well as raise public awareness regarding the dangers of impaired driving through a combination of targeted media activities and high-visibility enforcement. Because of the program, Federal funding will go towards helping police departments across the United States combat drunk driving.
The NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety has been an active participant in the program. To that end, police departments across the state have been invited to support the initiative and apply for additional funding. 151 different departments received overtime enforcement grants that will allow them to receive around $5,500 in additional funding that can specifically be used between December 8, 2017 and January 1, 2018, just in time to catch any holiday inspired DUI or DWIs that occur every year due to holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve. This means that you can expect even more DUI checkpoints and police officers looking for signs of inebriated driving in these areas during the 2017-2018 winter season.
Final List of Police Agencies Receiving Grants
The full list of Townships receiving additional overtime funding during the holidays are as follows:
| County | Police Department | Grant Amount |
| Atlantic | Atlantic Highlands PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Egg Harbor Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Galloway PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Hamilton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Hammonton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Mullica PD | $5,500.00 |
| Atlantic | Pleasantville PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Bergenfield PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Edgewater PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Emerson PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Fort Lee PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Garfield PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Hackensack PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Hillsdale PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Ho-Ho-Kus PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Lyndhurst PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Mahwah PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Maywood PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | North Arlington PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Oradell PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Palisades Interstate Parkway PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Paramus PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Ridgefield Park PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Ridgewood PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | River Vale PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Saddle River PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | South Hackensack PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Teaneck PD | $5,500.00 |
| Bergen | Wyckoff PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Burlington Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Cinnaminson PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Evesham PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Medford PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | New Hanover PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Riverside PD | $5,500.00 |
| Burlington | Westampton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Barrington PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Brooklawn PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Cherry Hill PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Delaware River and Port Authority | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Gloucester Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Haddon Heights PD | $5,500.00 |
| Camden | Pine Hill PD | $5,500.00 |
| Cape May | Lower PD | $5,500.00 |
| Cumberland | Millville PD | $5,500.00 |
| Cumberland | Vineland PD | $5,500.00 |
| Essex | Belleville PD | $5,500.00 |
| Essex | Bloomfield PD | $5,500.00 |
| Essex | Essex County Sheriff | $5,500.00 |
| Essex | Glen Ridge PD | $5,500.00 |
| Gloucester | Clayton PD | $1,100.00 |
| Gloucester | Deptford PD | $6,820.00 |
| Gloucester | Glassboro PD | $6,820.00 |
| Gloucester | Greenwich PD | $1,100.00 |
| Gloucester | Harrison PD | $1,980.00 |
| Gloucester | Logan PD | $1,100.00 |
| Gloucester | Mantua PD | $4,840.00 |
| Gloucester | Monroe PD | $4,840.00 |
| Gloucester | Pitman PD | $1,100.00 |
| Gloucester | Washington PD | $6,820.00 |
| Gloucester | Westville PD | $1,980.00 |
| Gloucester | Woodbury Heights PD | $1,100.00 |
| Gloucester | Woodbury PD | $6,820.00 |
| Gloucester | Woolwich PD | $2,640.00 |
| Hudson | Guttenberg PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | Harrison PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | Hoboken PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | Hudson County Sheriff | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | North Bergen Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | Secaucus PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | Union City PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hudson | West New York PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hunterdon | Clinton PD | $4,400.00 |
| Hunterdon | Clinton Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Hunterdon | Flemington PD | $4,950.00 |
| Mercer | East Windsor PD | $5,500.00 |
| Mercer | Ewing PD | $5,500.00 |
| Mercer | Hamilton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Mercer | Hightstown PD | $5,500.00 |
| Mercer | Lawrence PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Carteret PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Dunellen PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | East Brunswick PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Edison PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Monroe PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | New Brunswick PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | North Brunswick PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Old Bridge PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Piscataway PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Plainsboro PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | South Brunswick PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | South River PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Spotswood PD | $5,500.00 |
| Middlesex | Woodbridge PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Allentown PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Deal PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Eatontown PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Holmdel PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Keansburg PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Keyport PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Middletown PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Monmouth County Sheriff | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Neptune PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Ocean PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Sea Bright PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Sea Girt PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Spring Lake Heights PD | $5,500.00 |
| Monmouth | Union Beach PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Boonton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Denville PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Florham Park PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Hanover PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Jefferson PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Morris County Park Police | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Morris Plains PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Morris Twp PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Mount Olive PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Randolph PD | $5,500.00 |
| Morris | Rockaway PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Barnegat PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Bay Head PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Jackson PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Lakehurst PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Manchester PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Mantoloking PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Gate PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Point Pleasant Beach PD | $5,500.00 |
| Ocean | Point Pleasant PD | $5,500.00 |
| Passaic | Bloomingdale PD | $5,500.00 |
| Passaic | Clifton PD | $5,500.00 |
| Passaic | Hawthorne PD | $5,500.00 |
| Passaic | Passaic PD | $5,500.00 |
| Salem | Penns Grove PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Bedminster PD | $1,980.00 |
| Somerset | Bernards PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Bernardsville PD | $1,650.00 |
| Somerset | Bound Brook PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Branchburg PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Bridgewater PD | $1,100.00 |
| Somerset | Far Hills PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Franklin PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Green Brook PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Hillsborough PD | $4,400.00 |
| Somerset | Manville PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Montgomery PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | North Plainfield PD | $3,300.00 |
| Somerset | Peapack Gladstone PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Somerset County Sheriff | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Somerville PD | $1,870.00 |
| Somerset | South Bound Brook PD | $880.00 |
| Somerset | Warren PD | $5,500.00 |
| Somerset | Watchung PD | $5,500.00 |
| Sussex | Hopatcong PD | $5,500.00 |
| Sussex | Sparta PD | $5,500.00 |
| Sussex | Vernon PD | $5,500.00 |
| Union | Cranford PD | $5,500.00 |
| Union | Linden PD | $5,500.00 |
| Union | Rahway PD | $5,500.00 |
| Union | Roselle Park PD | $5,500.00 |
| Union | Union PD | $5,500.00 |
| Warren | Hackettstown PD | $5,500.00 |
| Warren | Washington Twp PD | $770.00 |
What To Expect Because of the National Campaign
Between now and New Year’s Day, you can expect extra police officers in the listed townships, as well as possibly in other municipalities, to be on high alert for any signs of suspicious driving that can be associated with intoxication. This can come in the form of DUI checkpoints near bars, restaurants, or other places where lots of people will be drinking, as well as extra police cars on patrol on New Jersey roads and highways. Because of the program, police officers will be more likely than normal to make an arrest if a driver exhibits any signs of intoxication.
Therefore, if you plan to go out and drink or party before January 1, 2018, you should have a designated driver or take a taxi or Uber. Safe and sober driving is especially important because, even if you don’t get in an accident and hurt yourself or others, you run the risk of getting arrested for drunk driving every time you choose to have even one drink and get behind the wheel.
Remember, one mistake, such as thinking you can drive when your blood alcohol content (BAC) is actually above .08%, can result in serious consequences – such as fines, jail time, or loss of driving privileges – that affect you for years to come.
New Jersey DUI/DWI Lawyer Edward M. Janzekovich Can Help if You Are Pulled Over During the Holidays
Not only should you be extra careful so that you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe, you should also be aware that police officers and government officials are on high alert for any potential drunk or intoxicated drivers during the holidays. If you or someone you know is charged for any crime relating to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it is extremely important to contact an experienced DUI/DWI attorney immediately. A good drunk driving lawyer can make all the difference. To speak with an experienced New Jersey DWI/DUI lawyer about your situation, call us at 732-257-1137 or contact us online today. We serve clients throughout the state of New Jersey.