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Date: 1/3/2024
LUDLOW — The Healey-Driscoll administration announced nearly $5 million in funds awarded to 130 police departments across the state to address their communities’ unmet public safety priorities.
Ludlow was awarded approximately $48,940.
Ludlow Sergeant Sean Knox said the funding will be used for upgraded equipment for the Hampden County regional SWAT team.
He added, “We will get vests, new plate carriers, new helmets and all the accessories that are associated with those items and it’s specific to the [Special Response Team]. They are no patrol vests; they are for a higher level of security but is an asset that Ludlow has now which kind of intertwines with the regional aspect.”
The current equipment has reached its expiration date, according to Knox.
“Our tactical vest and helmets have been expired for a couple years now so we have been trying to figure out how to get money to upgrade our vests specific to the team and that is what we put in for the grant,” Knox said.
He added, “It feels great to receive this grant. We’ve been struggling. It’s tough because these vests and things of that ballistics, they expire every five, six years. Seeing as we had 12 guys attached to that specific team, it’s a big bill to foot that’s just not in the budget.”
Knox is the commander of that unit where Ludlow has seven officers attached to that specific task force.
He added, “Our guys go out for training, we get called, we help out other communities in Hampden County and it’s under Sheriff Nick Cocchi and a bunch of the chief of polices.”
Knox said that the new equipment will also help upgrade the protection of the officers in the unit.
“It’s not built directly into our budget so finally being able to get some certified, qualified brand new equipment and the guys are ecstatic that we are going to get the best of the best stuff to come up and obviously safety at the forefront of it makes us all a little more at ease because we were struggling for a little while trying to figure out how we were going to get this without having to jump through the hoops of the town and trying to get special money allocated to us.”
The awards were made possible by the Edward J. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program, a federal grant awarded by the Department of Justice to the state’s Office of Grants and Research.
Grant reviewers identify projects that aligned with specific priority areas including strategies to address unlawful drug use, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, gang and gun violence, missing person cases and hate crimes.
“This program invests federal funds to make Massachusetts communities safer and stronger,” Gov. Maura Healey said, “This program allows towns and cities to identify their most pressing needs and direct funding to address those challenges. The ability of local public safety leaders to guide funds toward priority safety initiatives encourages a holistic approach to improving safety in communities with diverse needs.”
Additional priorities funded by this grant include technology upgrades, investigative tools and protective gear, school safety and security and efforts to advance racial equity and support underserved communities.