Holmes County Sheriff’s Office receives $40K federal grant for traffic safety enforcement

Sheriff Timothy W. Zimmerly recently announced the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded $40,550.17 in federal traffic-safety funding from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office for the federal fiscal year 2025-26.

The funding supports two key enforcement programs:

—Selective Traffic Enforcement Program: 350 hours of overtime.

—Impaired Driving Enforcement Program: 350 hours of overtime.

Based on 2025 crash data, Holmes County experienced four fatalities and 106 injuries. The office's goal is to reduce these numbers through high-visibility enforcement, overtime patrols and public education efforts.

Deputies assigned to the overtime duties will work various shifts throughout 2026 to maximize coverage and impact.

The grant funds are distributed through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, supporting statewide efforts to improve traffic safety in areas such as seat-belt use, impaired driving, speeding, motorcycle safety and young driver education.

Grant proposals are competitively reviewed and awarded to projects that demonstrate the greatest potential to reduce fatal crashes and improve traffic-safety systems.

For more information about the Ohio Traffic Safety Office and its statewide initiatives, visit otso.ohio.gov/.