NAHANT — The Nahant Police Department has been awarded $24,369 in federal grant funds, Chief Robert Dwyer announced Wednesday.
Allocated by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR), the department received the money from the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, which will fund the purchase of 11 new Motorola Portable Radios for full-time police officers. Dwyer said the current radio equipment is 15 years old.
“The purchase of these new radios will be a tremendous benefit to our department and ensure clear and timely communications among our officers,” Dwyer said. “I’d like to thank Sergeant Matt Morneau, as well as my administrative assistant, Mariana McCarthy, who both helped complete this application.”
The grants were part of $7.8 million in funding that the Baker-Polito Administration allocated yesterday, citing the necessity of providing access to equipment and strengthening training, crime prevention, and enforcement initiatives across the commonwealth.
A press release from the department stated that the JAG program provided $4.6 million to fund needs such as protective equipment and communications infrastructure. The funds are allocated to local agencies by the OGR.
Because each radio costs roughly $2,200 each, Dwyer said his department initially applied for $30,000 in grant funding to help meet the needs of all of the department’s officers, which include 12 full-time officers and several reserves.
He added that while the department’s current radios are able to function, the older technology can make communication between officers less efficient.
“It’s working, but the infrastructure needs to be updated,” he said.
More than 160 law enforcement agencies across the commonwealth were awarded grant funding.
