BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County District Attorney’s Office is poised to receive a significant boost in its fight against drunk driving, pending approval from the Board of Supervisors.
The office has applied for an $885,000 grant to establish a dedicated team focused on prosecuting alcohol- and drug-impaired driving cases.
One person was killed, and two others were injured in a suspected DUI crash early Sunday morning, according to the Bakersfield Police Department. PHOTO: KeyNews.TV
Supervisor Jeff Flores emphasized the human impact of DUI incidents, stating, “They’re more than numbers. These are people’s parents, people’s loved ones, people’s husbands and wives, people’s children who are being impacted.”
Kern County has consistently ranked among the highest in California for alcohol-related fatal crashes.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer described these cases as “one of the greatest threats to the Kern County community.”
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer.
The proposed grant would fund a special DUI prosecution team to handle cases from start to finish, with a focus on serious and repeat offenses, including crashes causing injury or death.
The grant for the Alcohol and Drug-Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program will be discussed at the Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, January 6.
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Flores highlighted the importance of the grant, saying, “This grant will be part of that comprehensive strategy and commitment to go after DUIs and, you know, bring down those numbers.”
He noted that the entire Board of Supervisors supports the initiative, which aims to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities, improve prosecutorial expertise, and increase the number of DUI cases filed and prosecuted.
Kern County Board of Supervisors on August 5, 2024. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
If approved, the program would run through Sept. 30, 2026, with results tracked throughout the year.
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the grant at tomorrow’s 9 a.m. meeting.