Kent Police receive state grant for dedicated DUI officer

In an effort to decrease the number of serious injury and fatal collisions related to alcohol and drug impairment, the Kent Police Department this month will roll out an officer dedicated to enforcing driving under the influence (DUI) violations.

Kent Police received a three-year grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to fund a DUI officer for three years, including $118,761 the first year. The Kent City Council accepted the grant April 15.

“Some of the goals of this project are to conduct a minimum of five days or nights per week of DUI enforcement and reduce impaired driving crashes by up to 10% (compared to last year) by Sept 30, 2025,” said Kent Police Cmdr. Josh Bava during a presentation to the council’s Committee of the Whole. “The second goal is education and outreach in the community (a minimum of four efforts per month).”

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission last fall created a new grant program to fund the creation of a Dedicated Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Officer program, according to city documents. The intent of the program is to increase DUI enforcement in the jurisdictions awarded the grant. The Kent Police Department was notified it was selected as a grant recipient in February 2025.

One of the Kent Police SUVs will be marked to clearly identify it as an Impaired Driving Enforcement vehicle.

Officer David Castro, currently on the force, will work as the DUI officer, Bava said. With his position paid for by the state grant, the department will hire another officer to take Castro’s spot.

Kent had 22 traffic fatalities in 2023, with 55% of them involving an impaired driver, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission Fatalities Dashboard. Kent has also experienced an increase in pedestrian fatalities over the past four years as a result of impaired drivers.

Kent is the largest city in south King County, which is a priority area for traffic safety focus. Kent has a population of 140,400, according to city leaders.

Kent Police made 221 DUI arrests in 2024 and there were 57 DUI crashes, according to city documents. In 2023, there were 175 DUI arrests and 64 DUI crashes.

The grant program will fund one full-time traffic officer’s salary and benefits each year through September 30, 2027, according to city documents. In addition, programmatic support will also be included to allow for training opportunities, goods and services, marketing and education of the program, vehicle maintenance and wrap identifying the vehicle as the Impaired Driving Enforcement vehicle, and other equipment as needed.

Although the grant award is for three years of funding, a separate grant agreement will be required for each year. Year one will commence once the agreement is signed by all parties and conclude on Sept. 30, 2025. With an anticipated start date of May 1, 2025, the first year of funding is $118,761. During year one, Kent Police and Washington Traffic Safety Commission will work together to update and refine elements of the grant agreement for years two and three.

Having a dedicated DUI officer conducting proactive DUI enforcement will not only increase the safety of the roads, the program will allow traffic officers to focus on traffic enforcement with this officer’s focus on impaired drivers enabling a more consistent enforcement presence, according to city documents.

The dedicated officer will be instrumental in teaching and mentoring new officers on conducting DUI enforcement and investigations, according to city documents.