Gene Crosby, assistant police chief for the Bogalusa Police Department, said that a recent grant to enforce seatbelt and child restraint laws has been a big success in the community.

Crosby explained that the BPD has been working a program to enforce Louisiana’s seatbelt and child restraint laws, and that program was funded by a grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC). It started Oc.t 1, 2017, and will conclude Sept. 30.

Crosby stated the program was conducted during off-duty (overtime) hours.

“During the past 11 months, officers issued 586 seatbelt, 34 No Child Restraints, and 136 ‘other’ traffic-related citations,” Crosby said.

The LHSC grants were awarded statewide. As a result of the program, every region in the state of Louisiana has experienced improvements in seatbelt usage since 2010, Crosby said.

The grant also provided funds for DWI enforcement and violations related to the possession or consumption of alcohol by anyone under 21, and vendors selling alcoholic beverages to minors.