Police Receive $5,000 Grant to Increase Bike and Pedestrian Safety

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has granted more than 40 police departments with grants to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists. 

The Andover Police Department received a $5,000 grant. The grant's purpose is to purchase equipment and dedicate enforcement that will increase cyclist and pedestrian safety. 

According to Massachusetts statistics from 2006 to 2011, 1,533 pedestrians were injured in crashes, 375 of them fatal injuries. During that same time frame, 586 cyclists were injured in accidents, 45 resulting in death. 

Andover is one of 48 police departments to receive the grant, which came from $192,000 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A spokesman from the Andover Police Department was not immediately available.