DPS Receives Funding from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to Continue Traffic Enforcement Efforts

(ATLANTA, GA) – The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has awarded the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) grant to continue its Nighthawks DUI Task Force, Administrative License Suspension (ALS) program, and Statewide Mobilization Patrol. The grant is approximately $4.6 million and went into effect on October 1, 2025.  It will continue through September 30, 2026. 

“Through the commitment of the GSP Nighthawks DUI Task Force and the ALS Program, we continue to combat impaired driving and enhance the safety of Georgia’s roadways for all who travel them. Along with targeting impaired drivers, our statewide mobilization patrols focus on upholding the traffic laws that keep our communities safe. Support from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety allows our Troopers to better identify and remove impaired drivers from Georgia’s roadways,” said Colonel William W. Hitchens, III, DPS Commissioner.

The primary goals of the H.E.A.T. program are to combat crashes, injuries, and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding; to increase seatbelt use; and to educate the motoring public on traffic safety and the dangers of driving under the influence.

“Federal and state crash data show sustained enforcement of traffic laws reduces crashes and saves lives on our roads,” said Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.  “GOHS will continue to partner with state and local law enforcement to implement projects and initiatives designed to protect everyone using our roads and to help reach our goal of zero traffic deaths in Georgia and our nation.”

The Nighthawks DUI Task Force is divided into three separate units. The units are all comprised of Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Troopers who have undergone specialized training in impaired driving enforcement.  The North Unit primarily focuses on enforcement in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. The Nighthawks Middle Unit focuses on Bibb, Muscogee, and the surrounding areas. The South Nighthawks Unit focuses on Bulloch and Chatham counties.

The ALS program and the GSP Nighthawks DUI Task Force were created in 2004. Through the ALS program, state Troopers receive training, legal assistance, and, in some cases, legal representation as they testify at ALS hearings for people charged with driving under the influence.  In Georgia, under certain circumstances, the state can administratively suspend the driver’s license, and the ALS hearing is held when the motorist contests the suspension.  The grant includes a former prosecutor, who serves as the ALS attorney representing Troopers at the ALS hearings, an additional attorney, and two paralegals.