RONAN — Last month the Ronan Police Department received a grant worth $58,069 in federal highway safety dollars for 2009 to hire on a new Highway Traffic Safety Officer for the department.

According to Ronan Assistant Police Chief Art Walgren, the grant through the Montana Department of Transportation is estimated to run for three years.

The department will have its new officer, Joel Diaz, on the streets at the end of March when he graduates from the police academy in Helena. Diaz, 22, grew up in Ronan and graduated from Ronan High School in 2004.

Walgren said the new grant-funded position would focus on DUI offenses, seatbelt usage, cutting down aggressive driving and reducing overall alcohol usage along U.S. Highway 93. The new officer will work out of the Ronan department, but spend a bulk of his time on the highway and collaborating with other area agencies.

Diaz began his training at the Montana Police Academy in Helena on Jan. 5, and is due to be out of school and on duty in Ronan seven weeks from now. Diaz explained that his duties will be similar to that of Montana Highway Patrol, just with a smaller coverage area.

“Highway safety patrol will be my main priority, ensuring safe access to state roadways and keeping DUI’s off the road,” Diaz said.

“I’m definitely very excited to get back there to be with my wife and family, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve in the community I call home.”