The Harris County district attorney handed over almost a half-million dollars to the Houston Police Department to help in the fight against drunk driving.

District Attorney Pat Lykos presented the Houston Police Department with a check for $475,000 Wednesday. Officials said the money will be used to purchase state-of-the-art testing and evidence-documentation equipment.

According to a news release from the District Attorney's Office, the grant will triple the number of intoxilyzer breath-alcohol testing instruments.

The grant will also entirely digitize the video and audio recording of the test procedures and their results, officials said.

Lykos said the grant is paid for with money captured through successful criminal prosecutions through their office.

"Impaired drivers threaten every law-abiding citizen in our community, causing carnage on our roadways, killing scores of innocent people each year and inflicting immeasurable pain on their surviving loved ones," Lykos said.

Officials said the equipment will be supervised by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which will allow officers from different jurisdictions to use the equipment to conduct tests.

The collaborative effort and improved equipment will help increase efficiency and timeliness of obtaining breath and blood evidence for DWI investigations, the department said.