The Hall County Sheriff’s Office and Gainesville Police Department have been approved for a third year of the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic Grant through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
“H.E.A.T. is designed to educate the public and enforce laws related to impaired and aggressive driving,” according to GOHS. “Each officer is armed with materials to educate Georgia residents about state laws that regulate aggressive and impaired driving”
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch received notification of the approval of $117,615 in federal funding for the unit earlier this month. The money is for the year ending September 30, 2019, and requires no local match.
The grant will cover the salary and benefits of the three local H.E.A.T. Unit members - two sheriff’s deputies and one police officer. In addition, it will pay for the fuel, maintenance, and upkeep of the three patrol vehicles which were purchased during the first year of the grant.