MONTGOMERY— Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded nine grants, totaling $250,000, to help law enforcement officers make Alabama roadways safer before and during the Labor Day holiday.

The funds will cover overtime pay for police officers and sheriff’s deputies Aug. 17 – Sept. 3 for the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Officers will emphasize enforcement of DUI laws by conducting safety checkpoints and increasing the number of patrols on Alabama roads.

“Drivers should never consume alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a vehicle,” Bentley said. “Through this safety campaign, our law enforcement officers will work hard to prevent injuries and fatalities by getting drunken drivers off the road.”

Bentley urged motorists to obey traffic safety laws throughout the year, not just during special enforcement campaigns.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from the State Traffic Safety Trust Fund, an account that receives fines paid by individuals found guilty of driving without a license or with a suspended or revoked license. ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy conservation, water resources, job training and career development.

Bentley awarded the following “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” grants to the state’s nine regional highway safety offices:

· $38,725 to the city of Montgomery for the Central Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery and Russell counties.

· $29,875 to the Etowah County Commission for the Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Madison and Marshall counties.

· $45,350 to Jefferson State Community College for the Birmingham Regional Highway Safety Office which serves Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties.

· $26,550 to Enterprise State Community College for the Southeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.

· $32,075 to the Mobile County Commission for the South Regional Highway Safety Office which serves Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.

· $25,450 to Northwest Shoals Community College for the North Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.

· $17,700 to the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission for the Highway Traffic Safety Division which serves Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties.

· $18,800 to Shelton State Community College for the West Alabama Community Traffic Safety Office which serves Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.

· $15,475 to Gadsden State Community College for the East Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.