XENIA — The Greene County Sheriff’s Office has received nearly $70,000 in grants from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), the office said in a news release Oct. 15.

The $69,843.71 in federal traffic safety funding will be used in fiscal year 2019 to allow the office to participate in national safety programs such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. In addition, the office will have money to increase patrols during events such as high school homecomings and proms.

The funds are passed through the OTSO from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and support the efforts to increase seat belt use, deter impaired driving, and enforce the texting and driving laws.

According to the release, the sheriff’s office works closely with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and local municipalities on projects that will have the greatest impact on reducing fatal and serious injury crashes.