Cannabis tax-funded grant will support checkpoints, officer training, school outreach and equipment aimed at reducing impaired-driving collisions
The Folsom Police Department will receive just over $164,000 in state grant funding to continue DUI enforcement efforts, provide specialized officer training and purchase a new police vehicle following approval by the Folsom City Council at its most recent meeting.
The council approved the funding at its Aug. 11 meeting, formally authorizing the city to accept $164,349.56 through the California Highway Patrol’s Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program. The funding is specifically intended to reduce and mitigate the impacts of impaired driving, including driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs.
The grant will pay for DUI checkpoints and other targeted enforcement operations, educational presentations for school groups, specialized checkpoint equipment and the purchase of a new Ford Police Interceptor for traffic and DUI enforcement.
The funding comes as Folsom police point to measurable declines in DUI-related crashes following previous grant-funded enforcement efforts.
According to the staff report prepared by Folsom Police Chief Adam Green, Folsom experienced impaired-driving collisions resulting in injuries and fatalities between 2020 and 2024. In 2025, however, DUI-related traffic collisions dropped 30% compared with the previous year, and the city recorded no DUI-related fatalities.
During that same period, officers made 205 DUI arrests during patrol operations and conducted four DUI checkpoints and 17 DUI saturation patrols. The report attributed the decline in part to proactive saturation patrols and checkpoints supported by grant funding.
The newly accepted grant will allow those efforts to continue during the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The Folsom Police Department successfully applied for the grant through the state and was awarded $164,349.56 in July. The California Highway Patrol had issued conditional approval for the award, requiring authorization from Folsom’s governing body before the grant agreement could be executed. The City Council’s action Tuesday provides that authorization.
CHP notified the Folsom Police Department of its conditional approval in a June 30 letter, stating that the funding was awarded to help the department “reduce and mitigate the impacts of impaired driving” in the community.
Under the grant program, funding can be used to reimburse personnel overtime associated with selective traffic enforcement as well as training officers in the detection, apprehension and prosecution of impaired drivers.
The grant also includes a public education component. Folsom police plan to conduct outreach through presentations at schools and “Know Your Limits” campaigns designed to educate the public about impaired driving.
A portion of the funding will go toward equipment used during DUI checkpoints and the purchase of a dedicated DUI enforcement vehicle, including a communications radio and associated emergency equipment. The staff report identifies the vehicle as a Ford Interceptor that will be used for traffic and DUI enforcement.
Green said the funding is designed to support a combination of education, prevention and enforcement efforts targeting impaired driving.
“Law enforcement grants provide financial assistance to allied agencies for the education, prevention, and the enforcement of laws related to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis and cannabis products,” Green wrote in his report to the council. “The intent of these programs is to educate the public regarding the dangers of impaired driving, enforce impaired driving laws on the roadway, and improve the organization’s effectiveness through training and development of new strategies.”
Green said those efforts are intended to produce measurable results on Folsom roadways.
“Each of these action items will help reduce the number of DUI collisions and hopefully lower the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level found during arrests,” he wrote.
The grant covers the period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Under the council’s approval, the city manager or a designee is authorized to execute the necessary agreements, amendments and payment requests associated with the grant. No local matching funds are required.
The City Council’s approval also authorizes the city’s finance director to increase revenue estimates and expenditure appropriations by $164,349.56 in the city’s General Grant Fund. Costs will initially be paid through that fund and then reimbursed by the state through the California Highway Patrol.
The new grant builds on Folsom’s ongoing use of outside funding for targeted traffic safety operations while providing the department with a new vehicle and equipment dedicated to enforcement efforts aimed at reducing impaired-driving crashes.
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