The Bartholomew County commissioners have approved purchasing sophisticated safety equipment for law enforcement officers.
The Nano-Technical Response Kit, as well as 14 night-vision binoculars, will be utilized by separate teams, but both teams are made up of Columbus police officers and Bartholomew County deputies, Bartholomew County Emergency Management Director Shannan Hinton said.
With a total cost near $50,000, the Nano-Technical Response Kit is a portable, digital X-ray machine attached to a robot that can be sent in wherever a suspicious package or other item is found, Hinton said.
“They can take an X-ray of a device without physically sending a person in,” she said. “They can bring (the robot) back, and view exactly what type of device they are dealing with.”
This equipment will be utilized by members of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team, better known as the bomb squad, Columbus Police spokesman Lt. Matt Harris said.
The commissioners also ratified spending about $45,000 for the acquisition of 14 binoculars with night-vision capability for members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
“It allows them to see in any type of low-light situation they may encounter, which is going to be a benefit to their safety,” Hinton said.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
