The Byrnes Mill Police Department got an early Christmas gift this year.
The department has received word that it will receive a $900 traffic enforcement grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, despite the agency issuing a four-year moratorium against awarding grants to the Police Department.
It has been just two years since the moratorium was issued, so the grant means a lot to the Police Department, Byrnes Mill Police Chief Frank T. Selvaggio said.
“Right after I started here (in October 2018), I was advised by MoDOT that we would have a minimum four-year moratorium placed on us before we could receive MoDOT grants for traffic enforcement,” Selvaggio said. “I’ve been working with them since that time, trying to convince them to change their policy with us, and they agreed to start small and see how that worked.”
Selvaggio joined the
Byrnes Mill Police Department as its chief after an Arnold Police investigation revealed police misconduct and several other problems in the department, including mismanagement of MoDOT grant funds. Since taking over the department, Selvaggio said he has been working to build trust with the community, and with MoDOT.
The $900 grant will be used for a holiday traffic enforcement campaign to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road. The grant will provide funding for officers to work overtime.
“The main focus of the grant is for DWI enforcement. However, other vehicles will be stopped for other infractions officers observe,” Selvaggio said. “The main goal is to keep the roadway safe.”
Selvaggio said the Police Department must use the funds between Dec. 18 and Jan. 1 and will use the money to pay for about 30 hours of overtime.
He said the hours will mostly be on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Selvaggio said both he and MoDOT will keep track of the funds.
“There is going to be a strict control on it,” he said. “There will be a series of checks and balances with this.”
Selvaggio said he believes he gained MoDOT’s trust by being transparent and showing proper management of other grants for equipment.
He also said the department is working hard to gain the public’s trust, which he believes is beginning to work.
“Some of the special events we’ve sponsored in the last few years with the community, and just getting in the neighborhoods and waving at people and trying to get to know them (is helping),” he said.
However, Selvaggio said he knows regaining trust is a slow process.