Pictured: Police Chief Brian Harvey, left, and Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen pose with Deanne Mansveld of CHD.
CENTER FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AWARDED GRANT TO HELP REDUCE UNDER AGE DRINKING WHILE FUNDING LOST SALARIES OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL
$12,000 award seen as ‘win-win’ for City, Police Department Officers, area youth, and the La Grande Community
The Center for Human Development (CHD) is pleased to announce a recent award of $12,000 in the form of a one-year grant from the Oregon Health Authority, which distributes federal funds from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. “The purpose of this grant is to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to, or consumed, by those under 21 years of age”, stated Carrie Brogoitti, Public Health Administrator for CHD.
The funds, according to Brogoitti, will be used to purchase four new portable breath alcohol testers, which will be used by local law enforcement officers to enforce underage drinking laws.
“CHD sees this as a win-win opportunity for our community members. The grant not only will potentially save lives by reducing under-age drinking, but the dollars are also being used to fill the gap created by the loss of sworn law enforcement positions within the La Grande Police Department (LPD) due to city budget cuts”, said Brogoitti. The funds will pay salaries for law enforcement officers called in to work during off-duty hours to participate in controlled dispersals of underage drinking parties, as well as pay for time spent preparing for court or appearing in court in relation to those enforcement activities. . “We appreciate the working partnership with CHD, the Sheriff’s Department and our Department”, said La Grande Chief of Police Brian Harvey. “This grant allows us to have the resources we need to enforce underage drinking to the level it is needed” stated Harvey, “It gives us the ability to find minors in possession and party dispersal which we could not do at the level needed due to limited resources at both agencies. This grant helps to fill that gap.” Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen also shared his appreciation for the grant, “This allows us to take a team approach to enforcing underage drinking laws and it allows us to team up with the city. Underage drinking affects people’s lives. We have to have enforcement of the law. We truly appreciate the efforts of CHD!”
For more information about this project contact DeAnne Mansveld at the CHD office, (541) 962-8822. To learn more about the many services provided by CHD to the communities of Union County, please visit the CHD website at www.chdinc.org or call (541) 523-8000.