Board OKs Police Technology Grant

The police department, with the board's unanimous approval, can now accept a Bureau of Justice Assistance Local Law Enforcement Block Grant for $15,647 to purchase training equipment.

The bureau is an agency of the U.S. Justice Department, which coordinates actions between federal and local law enforcement and helps to improve the effectiveness of local police departments with federal money.

"In a lot of ways, this money actually saves money," said Capt. John Butler of the Carrboro Police Department.

The $1,739 in local matching funds will come from the police operational budget. Because of vacant positions in the department, money is left in the police budget that was originally earmarked for salaries.

The grant, which can be applied for each year, has restrictions designed to ensure that the money is spent on essential law enforcement needs.

"The grant we applied for is strictly for equipment," Butler said.

He said this figure is drawn from a comparison of the town's population and the overall crime rate.

Approval came quickly last night because of the confidence the aldermen have in Carrboro Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison.

"We're really proud of our police chief for pulling this off because they need it," Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said.

While the aldermen had to approve the matching funds, the real decision-making will remain within the police department.

"(Splitting the grant is) something that the departments are encouraged to do on their own," said Alderman Mark Dorosin.

This year, the department will use the grant to buy training equipment so officers will not have to travel to community colleges for instruction, adding travel expenses to training costs, Butler said.

"One of our major drains on manpower is sending people off for training," Butler said.

The department wants to acquire a laptop with an overhead projector for PowerPoint presentations and audio-visual equipment for in-house training.

"We may be able to entice (instructors) to do some of this training at our facility," Butler said.

Some things the police want to buy were not on the budget list, such as rubber guns for training, Butler said. The use of rubber guns reduces the risk taken by using real weapons for training.

"To the average person, the rubber guns sound silly; but for us, it's a safety issue," Butler said.

Since first seeking this grant in 1997, he said, the department has used the money for patrol car video cameras and a computer system that allow police to share mug shots with other law enforcement agencies.

Having federal money also allows the department to improve current equipment rather than buy it new.

"It's less expensive to upgrade than to replace," Butler said.

"If you have an outside source (of funds) every year, you can constantly upgrade (equipment)."

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