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Grant allows extra patrols The Central Point police department won a $4,000 grant to increase patrols during the holidays. The grant, awarded by the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, allows for 34 four-hour blocks with an officer on the road. The officers are specifically targeting drunken drivers and motorists who aren't wearing seat belts. The extra patrols, which started around Halloween, are already making a difference, Central Point police Sgt. Steve McGee said. Officers working the extra patrols have already arrested seven people for driving drunk, and the department probably has another 28 of the four-hour blocks left. This is the first time the department has received the grant. In the past, budget restraints have prevented the department from having officers focus on DUII and seat belt enforcement, McGee said. Police see an increase in the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities during the holidays. Last year, 225 people were killed in Oregon in alcohol-related accidents, and alcohol is a factor in more than 40 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in the U.S., say police. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA