SOMERSET — Chief George McNeil is pleased to announce that the Somerset Police Department has been awarded a total of $47,014 in federal grant funds allocated by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR).
The Somerset Police Department received a $20,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a $27,014 grant from the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. The JAG grant funds will be used to begin the process of implementing a body-worn camera program, and the NHTSA funds will be used to purchase small radar speed signs to be mounted on telephone poles throughout town.
“We are thankful to the Baker-Polito Administration, the JAG program and the NHTSA for these funds,” Chief McNeil said. “Body-worn cameras are a valuable tool for police departments and their communities that help to provide transparency and accountability and we are pleased to have the funds that will help us move toward a body-worn camera program for the department. In addition, the speed signs will help to improve safety on our roads by reminding drivers to slow down.”
The grants were part of $7.8 million in funding that the Baker-Polito Administration allocated to provide access to equipment and strengthen training, crime prevention and enforcement initiatives across the Commonwealth.
The JAG program provided $4.6 million to fund needs such as protective equipment and communications infrastructure. The NHTSA provided $3.2 million to fund traffic enforcement campaigns, safety equipment, and non-enforcement activities to help reduce vehicle crashes and the resulting injuries and loss of life. The funds are allocated to local agencies by the OGR.
The Somerset Police Department is among more than 160 law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth that were awarded grant funding.
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