City of Linden Union County, New Jersey

City of Linden
Union County, New Jersey
Department Of Police – Traffic Bureau
City Hall - 301 North Wood Avenue
Linden, New Jersey 07036
(908)474-8505
RICHARD J. GERBOUNKA
JAMES SCHULHAFER
MAYOR
CHIEF OF POLICE
Press Release
For Immediate Release
The Linden Police Department targets distracted driving. On November 12, 2014 members of the LPD
Traffic Bureau assisted by patrol officers conducted a distracted driving interdiction. Officers in plain
clothes were stationed on the side of Route 1 & 9 in Linden looking for drivers doing anything but
concentrating on driving.
LPD used funds from the NJ Safe Corridors Grant to bring in off-duty Officers especially for this detail.
The Officers were paid for by the Safe Corridors Grant. The City of Linden has received this grant each
year since 2009 with the exception of 2010. Linden Traffic Bureau Commander Michael Babulski states,
“The Safe Corridor Grant is an excellent program and it is a vital part of traffic safety in Linden. We use
the grant for everything from manpower, equipment, training and technology to educational material for
traffic safety. Without the support of this grant Route 1 & 9 in Linden would be a lot more dangerous.”
This is not the first nor the last distracted driving detail to be conducted in Linden. “You may or may not
see us out there but the Linden Police Department will definitely be aggressively enforcing the distracted
driving as well as the move over law in the near future. We may not issue us a summons, we may just
educate you or hand you’re a brochure explaining the laws but hopefully it will make our roads safer,”
Babulski further stated.
In October Linden was awarded $122,528.07 from the Safe Corridor Grant. A slight decrease from last
years award.
About Safe Corridors
The Safe Corridor grant program dates to 2003 and targets resources to 14 ten-mile segments along
highways that have a history of high crash rates. Grants are supported by fines, which are doubled in
designated Safe Corridors for a variety of moving violations, including speeding.
FY 14 Safe Corridors funding is being allocated based on crash data, with higher amounts of funding
going to areas demonstrating the greatest need for continued enhanced enforcement measures. Segments
of Route 1, Route 9, Route 22, Route 40, Route 46, Route 47, Route 73 and Route 206 are receiving FY
14 funding.
Grants can be used by municipalities to purchase enforcement equipment including police vehicles, radar
equipment, computer hardware and software, and to pay salaries. Here is the complete list of grant
recipients, amounts, and Safe Corridor segments (pdf 20k) for which grants are being awarded.
Lt. M. Babulski
Traffic Bureau Commander
An Equal Opportunity Employer