The Queen Creek Police Department has a new tool in its efforts to stem an increase in juvenile DUI drug arrests.
QCPD received a $50,000 grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety that will pay for overtime and other employee-related expenses to support enhanced DUI/impaired driving laws and expand public education throughout the town.
The grant, awarded through the Arizona DUI Abatement Council, was accepted by the Queen Creek Town Council during its July 16 meeting. The grant approval was on the council’s consent agenda in which all items are decided through one motion and vote.
“Between 2023 and 2024, QCPD reported a 21% rise in DUI drug arrests and nearly double the number of juvenile DUI arrests. These incidents are frequently tied to the rise in underage use of THC vape products,” a council staff report stated. “The department has already responded by expanding community outreach, partnering with schools and parents and boosting participation in regional DUI enforcement task forces across Maricopa and Pinal counties.”
The grant will fund $36,232 in personnel overtime for DUI enforcement operations, especially during evening and weekend hours. The grant also will fund $13,768 in expenses to cover mandatory benefit costs related to the overtime. The grant money will not pay for materials, supplies or capital equipment.
The grant, which ends on June 30, 2026, has two key objectives:
Increasing DUI arrests by 10% by focusing enforcement on high-risk times and locations.
Raising public awareness through digital outreach and town partnerships to reach at least 10% of the community, or 8,000 people through educational posts and events.
The department must provide a final report on its results by July 31, 2026.
Since QCPD launched in January 2022, the department’s traffic unit has expanded from a part-time sergeant and two motor officers to a full-time sergeant and seven motor officers as of March.
“This expansion mirrors Queen Creek’s population increase, now exceeding 83,000 residents, along with approximately 150,000 vehicles traveling through town daily,” the report continued.
In October, the town council accepted two other grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety totaling $90,000. Among the goals related to the grants is providing Drug Impairment Training for Educational Professionals courses for schools in the Queen Creek Unified School District.
“(The program) helps educators recognize possible signs of drug impairment and distinguish them from potential medical issues,” according to a QCPD statement. “This training equips school staff to respond appropriately and support student well-being.”
The courses teach a systematic approach for recognizing and evaluating students in schools who may be abusing and impaired by legal and illegal drugs. The courses also provide intervention tools.
Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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