Dothan Police Hopeful For Grant That Could Mean More Officers
By: Scott Packard, SPackard@wdhn.com
Updated: June 15, 2010
If the Dothan Police Department gets what it wants... eight new officers will soon patrol the city.
"It's a grant that we've applied for to fund an additional eight officers for three year," Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton said. "The grant would take care of the total cost."
That cost is about $1.4 million. The money would come from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. This is not the first time Dothan has applied for the funds. The department was turned down just last year.
"We were told because we were not in a hiring freeze at the time. We're still not but we are still hopeful that we will be able to get those additional slots," Chief Benton said.
Another grant in the works will affect how the Dothan Police Department uses its vehicles. The $500,000 grant for Mobile Data Units will allow officers to electronically file reports from the computers inside of their cars
"We've got to get up to speed on those mobile data terminals and the software that goes with them," Benton continued.
Those two grants are only on the wish list... there's another that's already been awarded.
"When we ask them to go in and take care of something as serious as a bomb or some like IED devices-- we want them to have the best they can have," EMA Director Clark Matthews said.
That's why with the help of the Dothan Houston County Emergency Management Agency the Dothan Bomb Team will soon get $55,000 worth of new gear. That funding is from Homeland Security.
"We've had bomb suits in the past but we needed more and more up to date," Matthews continued.
Because the bomb team serves a multi-county area... the chief says the grant will help the entire Wiregrass.
"It's a grant that we've applied for to fund an additional eight officers for three year," Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton said. "The grant would take care of the total cost."
That cost is about $1.4 million. The money would come from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. This is not the first time Dothan has applied for the funds. The department was turned down just last year.
"We were told because we were not in a hiring freeze at the time. We're still not but we are still hopeful that we will be able to get those additional slots," Chief Benton said.
Another grant in the works will affect how the Dothan Police Department uses its vehicles. The $500,000 grant for Mobile Data Units will allow officers to electronically file reports from the computers inside of their cars
"We've got to get up to speed on those mobile data terminals and the software that goes with them," Benton continued.
Those two grants are only on the wish list... there's another that's already been awarded.
"When we ask them to go in and take care of something as serious as a bomb or some like IED devices-- we want them to have the best they can have," EMA Director Clark Matthews said.
That's why with the help of the Dothan Houston County Emergency Management Agency the Dothan Bomb Team will soon get $55,000 worth of new gear. That funding is from Homeland Security.
"We've had bomb suits in the past but we needed more and more up to date," Matthews continued.
Because the bomb team serves a multi-county area... the chief says the grant will help the entire Wiregrass.
