Grants pending for law

PIERRE —  From new mobile data terminals to a new server for the new jail and the police department, local law enforcement officials are watching grant requests keenly.

This year, the Pierre Police Department has applied for three federal grants, a $48,687 Justice Assistance Grant, a $10,295 Justice Assistance Grant and a $155,149 COPS Hiring Recovery Program grant. The first two grants would be split nearly evenly with the Hughes County Sheriff’s Department and the third grant has not been awarded to the police department at this point.

Police Chief Bob Grandpre said the force is waiting word from the Department of Justice on when the grants will come through and said there is still a possibility the police department could receive complete funding for an additional officer for three years. The grant would allow the police department to add a second school resource officer. Grandpre said the demand is still there, though dollars are not, at this point.

“It’s a valuable program,” said Grandpre of the single officer program. “That’s why I would like to augment it with a second officer. We know we have a big demand for his time. We’ll continue to try to figure out ways we’re going to address that.”

The $48,687 grant would be used to fund a server for the new jail and would also be used by the police department, according to Hughes County Sheriff Mike Leidholt.

“We’ll store digital data on it, some digital recordings, digital photos,” said Leidholt. “It will serve the new jail as well as serve the needs of the police department.”

Leidholt said his department would use about half of the $10,295 grant to purchase better cameras for crime scenes and auto accidents. He said both grants would go a long way for the department.

“They’d be very useful,” he said. “They’d really help us on both fronts.”

Grandpre said the force would use remaining grant dollars to replace old data terminals in patrol cars, allowing officers to access databases such as the registered sex offenders one.

“These are computers that allow officers to stay connected to the office and to the databases that benefit us when we’re on the road,” he said. “The JAG grants are essential in allowing us to put new technology into the hands of our officers immediately.”

Police officials and Pierre School District officials have spoke of the need for a broader school resource officer presence at the elementary schools and the middle school. Officer Samson Boutchee is based at Riggs High School, and Grandpre said the program has proven to be successful.

“It’s a very effective program,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition for Officer Boutchee’s time. We have tried to hit the different campuses in Pierre with him. We’ll just have to revisit that and make a decision on how best to use those resources.”