What Happened?
Police departments across the country are taking advantage of state and federal grants to upgrade equipment, test new innovations and expand local services.
Sarasota PD
The Sarasota Police Department recently received a $46,793 Victims of Crime Act Grant (VOCA) from the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal grant will enable the police department to expand its victim advocate program and provide services to more victims. The Sarasota Victim Advocate Program is a vital component to the police department’s community policing mission, My Sun Coast reported.
With the funding, the Sarasota Police Department was able to hire additional victim advocates to manage the increase in services. The victim advocates provide intervention counseling and follow up assistance to victims and witnesses of crimes. The services are free to residents and do not require a formal police report be written up. The advocate program also offers:
- Crisis intervention
- Emotional support
- Bereavement support
- Assistance with legal and judicial processes
- Information and referrals to other public services
The Sarasota Police Department was one of several agencies in Florida to receive federal funding through the grant program.
Crime Victims Fund
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs houses the Office for Victims of Crime. The office administers the Crime Victims Fund established under the Victims of Crime Act from 1984. The VOCA grant program is designed to support local community providers in:
- Responding to the emotional and physical needs of crime victims
- Assisting victims in stabilizing their lives after the victimization
- Helping victims understand and participate in the criminal justice system
- Providing victims with safety and security
The Crime Victims Fund awards grants to federal , state and community victim assistance programs, as well as provides victim compensation for medical costs, funeral or burial costs, mental health counselor or any lost wages. The program also offers victim assistance such as emergency shelter, transportation, counseling or criminal justice advocacy.
PD Tech Grants
The Archer City Police Department in Texas recently received a $20,000 grant from the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation to help pay for the installation of a COPsync system. The technology enables police officers to conduct thorough license checks out in the field. If someone who is pulled over happens to be flagged for being violent, the system will notify the police officers as well as the nearest five police vehicles so the individual can be taken into custody safely and efficiently, Texomas Homepage reported.
The COPsync system provides real-time, information sharing, communication and data interoperability between police vehicles and command centers. The technology’s mobile application allows police officers to access law enforcement databases, gather data at the point of incident and share the information with other officers.
Similarly, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded the Ohio Emergency Management Agency with funding to support the purchase of 180 multi-agency radio communication system (MARCS) radios to be distributed between 18 jurisdictions statewide. Each radio costs between $1,500 to $6,000, which underscores the necessity of a grant to support the purchase and implementation of the technology, Newark Advocate reported.
MARCS are radio and data networks that enable statewide interoperability between law enforcement and first responder agencies. Users can leverage the radios for instant communication across vast distances as well as sharing of vital information to improve safety and efficiency.
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