Frisco City Council members approved two grant agreements with the Texas Department of Transportation that will fund police participation in TxDOT’s Click it or Ticket and Operation Slowdown programs during their June 6 meeting.
The breakdown
The two grants approved by council members were for $4,881.06 each, with two promised city matches of $1,223.20 accompanying them.
The main function of the TxDOT grants is to pay the officers for their time working in the designated Click It or Ticket and Operation Slowdown traffic enforcement shifts, said Grant Cottingham, Frisco PD public information officer, in an email.
“As part of their enforcement, the officers are required to focus on targeted zones of the city, [such as streets and intersections], as determined by our traffic data and that provided by TxDOT,” Cottingham said.
The specifics
The Click it or Ticket program ran from May 22 through June 4, according to meeting documents. Due to the program ending before the meeting, Frisco police were able to receive a signature from City Manager Wes Pierson on May 18 to apply for the money, according to meeting documents.
“If the [Click it or Ticket] program influences even one person to use a seat belt, then I would consider the program a success,” Cottingham said.
The success of Click it or Ticket is also thanks to the city’s partnerships with TxDOT and other agencies across Texas, Cottingham said in the email.
“With a statewide focus on seat belt enforcement around Memorial Day, and by advertising that officers will be out specifically looking for those violations, it has a greater chance of making an impact,” Cottingham said.
Operation Slowdown is set to begin on July 14 and end July 30, according to meeting documents. Similar to Click it or Ticket, the program will involve an increased patrol presence to enforce safe driving practices.
More information on TxDOT’s traffic safety programs can be found at its website.
