New grant paying overtime for OCPD

OCEAN CITY, Md. – An initiative to increase roadway safety is in effect in Ocean City with a new grant for law enforcement.

Police officers fulfilling overtime will now be paid with a new grant. It’s a part of the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office.
It’s for the fiscal year of 2025 which started on July first. With $20,000 bicycle and pedestrian patrol officers will be able to continue their patrols. It’s also an effort to lower the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths on Maryland roadways.

Ashley Miller with the police department says this ensures enough officers to cover all their bases. “It allows our officers to really be proactive and have that one sole focus to ensure, you know where in the large scheme of things that if somebody is responding to a call and it’s a serious assault they might not be able to address that pedestrian violation they’re seeing,” said Ashley Miller with the Ocean City Police Department.

Ashley Miller with the police department says this finding will also boost morale.

Officers will continue to protect the streets and make more money for the extra hours they put in. “These types of overtime details really speak to, you know, what they are passionate about. So being able to pick up that extra little shift to do a couple of hours and really hone in on their skills and their passion, why keep an Ocean City safe is definitely a morale booster,” said Ashley Miller with the Ocean City Police Department.

Miller also advises that bicyclists remember to ride in the direction of traffic and not against it. The funding will expire June 30, 2025.

To read more about the initiative, click here.