Underage Alcohol-Related Selective Overtime Enforcement

Funding Assistance

The Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office (NDOT-HSO) provides funding assistance for overtime enforcement for underage alcohol-related activities. All eligible activities must be above and beyond the normal enforcement level. Funding assistance should be requested a minimum of 30 days prior to the start of the activity to allow adequate time for the approval process. Funding requests should be submitted on a completed “Selective Overtime Enforcement Mini-Grant Contract Application and Award”.

 

Underage alcohol-related overtime enforcement activities eligible for overtime funding assistance may include:

  • Compliance Checks
  • Adult Procurement Initiatives
  • Adult Education/Program Presentations
  • Selective Overtime Enforcement
  • Party Patrols


Compliance checks should be conducted with the support of your community coalition. The community coalition provides the support to build the community consensus that underage drinking is unacceptable. Often times the community coalition can act as a buffer for the law enforcement agency during compliance checks. NDOT-HSO also encourages multi-agency compliance checks to involve the Nebraska State Patrol, police department, and sheriff’s office when possible. All officers working grant funded alcohol selective overtime enforcement must be certified in Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST). Course completion certificates will be required with the claim for reimbursement.

 

It is critical that law enforcement personnel receive training from the Nebraska State Patrol prior to conducting any compliance checks. This ensures the established protocols are followed, and assists with the success when the cases are heard before the Liquor Control Commission.

 

The mini-grant application requests information in five (5) different categories: 1) Baseline Information; 2) Selective Overtime Enforcement Objective; 3) Selective Overtime Enforcement Activity; 4) Selective Overtime Enforcement Budget; and, 5) Impact Evaluation. Every effort should be made to provide as much information as possible.

 

  • BASELINE INFORMATION: The baseline information for all activities, excluding compliance checks, should be the county/city fatal and serious injury crash data for youth alcohol crashes. If you do not have your county crash data available, please contact the NDOT-HSO for assistance. The baseline information for compliance checks should be the results from the last compliance check conducted. If this is the first compliance check, you will be creating the baseline information with the results from the first check.
  • SELECTIVE OVERTIME ENFORCEMENT OBJECTIVE: Your baseline information will assist in formulating your objective. For compliance checks, your objective may be “To decrease alcohol sales to minors by ____%”. For all other activities, your objective may be “To decrease youth alcohol-related fatal and serious injury crashes by _____%”.
  • SELECTIVE OVERTIME ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY: The activity should include the dates of enforcement, times of day for the enforcement, specific locations (if available), and the number of officers participating in the enforcement. The only unknown activities would include program presentations and party patrols. These may be addressed with an anticipated number of program presentations and/or party patrols. If you are conducting selective overtime enforcement during high youth alcohol related activities (i.e., prom, graduation, or other activities in your community), those dates are probably available.
  • SELECTIVE OVERTIME ENFORCEMENT BUDGET: The budget will reflect the activity. The budget should include the number of officers "x" the number of hours "x" the number of days to equal the total hours. The total hours "x" rate of overtime pay will equal your requested dollar amount for overtime salaries. Mileage is eligible for reimbursement at the standard mileage rate at the time of the activity. Your anticipated miles "x" the reimbursement rate will give you your dollar amount for mileage. For compliance checks you may request funding for the cooperating individuals (CIs). Please indicate the number of CIs "x" their rate of pay. All of these totaled amounts will provide you with your total estimated budget.
  • IMPACT EVALUATION: This measures the success of your activity. For compliance checks comparing your most recent compliance check against the previous check will provide the measurement. For all other activities, the youth alcohol fatal and serious injury crash rates would be used. Often times the crash rates are only available on an annual basis and will not be immediately available.

 

Press Releases

Pre-activity and post-activity press releases must be issued by the law enforcement agency. The pre-activity press release tells the public what you are going to do, why, and when you are going to do the enforcement. If compliance checks are combined with the overall activity, the pre-activity press release may be very general in nature but still advise that the funds have been awarded to your agency to combat the youth alcohol problem. The post-activity press release tells the public the results of the enforcement activity.

 

Reimbursement

At the conclusion of the activity when requesting reimbursement, be certain to include the six items listed on the mini-grant application with your reimbursement request.

 

Activity Report

An activity report outlining all of the funded activities must be included with the reimbursement.