Impaired drivers traveling through Wright City, consider yourself warned. The Wright City Police Department has been spending more time recently on state highways thanks to a grant designed to crack down on motorists who might be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Having dipped into the $3,480 Interstate Reduction program grant administered by MoDOT, Police Chief Henry Matthews considered the first phase of the enforcement to be a success. The grant reimburses the city for overtime pay to patrol state highways inside city limits, including Interstate 70, the North and South Outer Roads, and Highways J and F. Matthews said a variety of traffic citations were issued, including a handful to impaired drivers, in November and December. The officers are normally patrolling the state highways in the late- and early-morning hours, he noted. "We probably wrote at least 50 summonses for different things," Matthews said. "We wrote summonses for everything from excessive speed to following too close." Remaining grant money will be spent during a second phase to be held between May and September. With only seven full-time officers, two shy from a full squad, Matthews said the grant is providing coverage that otherwise wouldn't be available. The grant has not affected the department's regular patrols, Matthews acknowledged. Since the MoDOT grant provides overtime pay, an officer who regularly is off-duty has the opportunity to receive more hours. "We could not pay the overtime out of our budget on a regular basis," Matthews said. "This is an important grant. This helps reduce impaired and careless drivers." Funding through grants has been valuable this year for the police department. Earlier this month, Matthews said his department received three handheld radios from the Department of Homeland Security. All full-time officers now have a radio assigned to them. "That was a big help," he said. Also this year, the department received a Missouri Department of Public Safety grant totaling $4,200 to purchase new bulletproof vests. Along with the grant, the Wright City Area Chamber of Commerce held a fundraiser to contribute to $1,835 for the vests. In all, 10 vests were purchased to replace expired models that were still being worn by officers. "We're going to keep putting in for grants and hope we can continue to get them," Matthews said.