County officials agreed to sign on to grant applications in hopes of receiving federal funding to buy mobile surveillance trailers for large-scale events, riot shields and a simulator training system for law enforcement.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners on Monday signed onto two grant applications through the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), a grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designed to help localities sustain homeland security and emergency management capabilities.
Funding through the program is tied to national preparedness goals and individual state risk assessments.
Shannan Cooke, director of Bartholomew County Emergency Management (BCEM), said the county applies for funding through the program annually.
There are two categories — National Priority Projects and Enduring Needs Projects, Cooke told commissioners.
National Priority Projects are investment areas FEMA designates each year, tied directly to federal policy priorities, according to the FEMA.
Enduring Needs Projects, on the other hand, cover needs localities need to maintain every year, meaning capabilities that always matter including training for first responders and equipment replacement.
As the county’s National Priority Project, Cooke said county officials are seeking $150,000 to buy digital message boards and mobile surveillance trailers, along with accompanying cameras and a prime mover to haul the trailers.
“It’s a trailer that has both the capability for having the message board, but also has a telescoping capability with cameras,” Cooke said. “We have some of the fixed cameras around right now that we can monitor traffic and pedestrians. We can deploy these trailers, however, to different or specific locations and use those cameras to monitor traffic (and) monitor the crowds.”
Cooke said the trailers would be used to do security for the county’s large-scale events.
The county is looking to buy riot shields, a triple-function laser device and a simulator training system as its Enduring Needs Project. Cooke said the project costs $110,081.
If the funding is granted, there would be enough riot shields for each deputy. The triple-function laser would be used by members of the SWAT team.
The simulator training system was requested by the sheriff’s department, Cooke said, and would “offer different types of scenarios and allow for the officers to train to those scenarios just using the simulator system versus any type of real life event.”
Cooke said she expects to hear about whether the grants are awarded some time next month.
