Area law enforcement agencies receive grants for new equipment

Arkansas funded grants totaling more than $7 million dollars were awarded today to 113 local and state law enforcement agencies and correctional or detention facilities.  Approximately 90 percent of the total funds will be received by local police and sheriff’s departments to purchase new equipment. 

The grants were authorized last year through legislation adopted by Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas General Assembly.  Act 786 sanctioned the Public Safety Equipment Grant Program administered by the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and provides for grants to be used for purchasing, “non-lethal equipment that aids in improving trust and relationships between law enforcement agencies, detention centers and corrections agencies within their communities that they serve.”

The grant applications submitted earlier this year were reviewed and graded for distribution by a committee selected from a cross-section of state and local law enforcement officers, correction and detention officers and professional laypersons.

Recipients that’s from our local law enforcement agencies that received the Public Safety Equipment Grants were:

Pike County Sheriff’s Office-$100,000, Murfreesboro Police Department-$13,826.53, 9th West Judicial Drug Task Force/South Central DTF-$32,612.86, Polk County Sheriff’s Office-$5,157.45, 

Nevada County Sheriff’s Department-$63,032,.88, City of Hope-$13,375.00, Prescott Police Department-$54,465.10, City of Ashdown Arkansas Police Department-$100,000, Bradley Police Department-$12,116.57, and Mena Police Department-$9,148.73.

Other Recipients that received Public Safety Equipment Grant were Arkansas Game and Fish Commission-$100,000.00, Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy-$89,9797.02,  and the Arkansas State Police-$99,661.04.