Longmeadow, Wilbraham receive police equipment grantsDate: 12/14/2023 Longmeadow and Wilbraham are among the state’s 130 police departments to be awarded police equipment grants totaling $5 million from the Healey-Driscoll administration.
The Edward J. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The competitive grants are awarded to departments with applications that focus on addressing 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 in a press release. “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.”
The Wilbraham Police Department was awarded a $4,394 grant to purchase a hand-held infrared camera, known as a FLIR. These cameras “can see the heat of a person,” Wilbraham Police Chief Edward Lennon said. While most effective at night, he said the cameras can be used to pick up heat in a wooded area.
He explained that Wilbraham has had two cases of a person missing in the woods this year and a FLIR camera would have allowed the police to see the person’s heat signature in heavy brush from up to 50 yards away.
The Fire Department also has a FLIR camera, which the police have borrowed in the past. However, Lennon said that camera is designed for use within a few feet to detect fire inside walls and did not provide the long-range sight the police require.
The grant received by the Wilbraham Police Department in previous years was used to purchase stun guns.
In Longmeadow, the Police Department applied for a $37,279 grant to purchase seven vehicle-based laptops, known as mobile data terminals. Police Chief Robert Stocks said, “MDTs are a lifeline for our officers; vital information is gleaned from the laptops as they are connected to dispatch, state and federal databases.” He explained that the existing terminals are “well beyond their suggested shelf life” and have had to be repaired several times, temporarily taking cruisers out of service.
After the state’s grant announcement was delayed this fall, the department requested the funding at the Town Meeting in October. With receipt of the grant, however, the article will be rescinded at the next Town Meeting in spring 2024, and the money will be returned to the town’s coffers.
“Grants like the Edward J. Byrne JAG Program are instrumental in keeping police departments equipped with the necessary resources to effectively perform our job,” Stocks said. “The LPD would like to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration, EOPSS Secretary [Terrence] Reidy and the OGR Director Kevin Stanton for their support of both the LPD and our efforts to keep our community safe. Having these up-to-date laptops will enhance our capabilities and efficiency while keeping officers safer on the street.”
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