Wayland police win FY27 road safety grant

The Wayland Police Department announced Oct. 21 that it has received a federal Fiscal Year 2027 Municipal Road Safety grant through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Office of Grants and Research.

The grant will fund targeted traffic enforcement, new traffic safety equipment and community education programs over the coming year, with the goal of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities on Wayland's roadways.

Officers will run high-visibility patrols during six statewide safety campaigns: Winter Impaired Driving in December 2026, Distracted Driving in April 2027, Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement in May 2027, Summer Speed in June and July 2027, and Summer Impaired Driving from Aug. 1 through Sept. 15, 2027. Impaired driving patrols will focus on weekend periods from Thursday evening through Monday morning, while distracted driving, seat belt and speed patrols will target Wayland's high-traffic roadways. Spotter units will support enforcement officers during the distracted driving campaign.

The department will also purchase a solar-powered, pole-mounted speed feedback sign that displays approaching vehicles' speeds to encourage drivers to slow down and to give the department data for future enforcement.

On the education side, the grant funds quarterly community events where residents can have child passenger seats checked and installed, as well as training for officers to become certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

The department said in the release that the funding "allows the department to put more officers on the road during the times and places where crashes are most likely, while also investing in education that keeps families safe." It asked drivers to slow down, put the phone away, buckle up and never drive impaired.

Residents interested in attending a car seat event can watch the department's website and social media for upcoming dates.

Source: Wayland Police Department announcement, October 21, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.