Local Pa. agencies are getting millions from grants

By Moriah Balingit
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — After many police agencies were forced to implement belt-tightening measures, local departments large and small are getting a huge boost through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Allegheny County is eligible for $3.2 million in Justice Assistance Grant money, with about $1.1 million going to 33 outlying police departments and $2.1 million going to the Pittsburgh police.

Eligibility is based on a formula that takes into account a municipality's population and crime rate, among other things.

The list of municipalities and their individual allocations was released earlier this month, after President Barack Obama announced a $2 billion-plus investment in law enforcement nationally through the stimulus package.

The money is a welcome surprise after many departments experienced a decline in federal grant assistance over the past year. Some communities are seeing a near tenfold increase in JAG money, and some departments are receiving grant money for the first time.

Local police chiefs, who still have to apply for the money, are putting together "wish lists" of equipment they'd like to purchase with the grants. Some departments are planning to use the money to cover ordinary costs, such as leases on cars.

McKeesport's 58-officer department is eligible for the largest grant outside of Pittsburgh, at $193,871. Chief Joe Pero said he'd like to use the money to buy new portable radios and cars for his department.

He also hopes to use some of the money to create an emergency services unit, an elite team of officers that would be equipped to respond to standoff and hostage situations, similar to a SWAT team.

Currently, McKeesport relies on the Allegheny Countypolice SWAT unit for such situations, which can take up to 40 minutes to respond to situations in the city. The wait time creates a dangerous situation for his officers, he said, who lack the equipment to deal with standoffs.

"We're trying to eliminate the response time from the county," he said. "We could have two officers per shift who could rapidly go to a situation with the equipment in their vehicles."

He estimates that it will cost $15,000 to $20,000 just to purchase equipment, not including a vehicle.

Chief Pero said he had watched federal support drop off in the past few years. In 2004, the city received a $50,000 JAG grant; by last year, the money had dropped to $20,000.

North Versailles' police department has more modest plans for the $27,843 it will receive. The township has been unable to pay full salaries since late January, and officers are still short a full week of pay.

"With our financial situation, we have to use this money to the best of our ability," said Chief James Comunale. "The last thing I'm thinking about right now is buying new equipment. We just want to stay afloat right now."

Chief Comunale said his department would probably use the money to help with payments for its seven vehicles, which they lease to own. This year, he said, the department will spend about $70,000 on car payments.

When Homestead Police Chief Jeff DeSimone heard he would receive $40,000, he said he could hardly believe it. The money is significant for his department, which operates on a $1.3 million budget.

He hopes to use the money to get his department up to speed technologically. His K-9 unit vehicle does not have an in-car laptop and he would like to outfit all six vehicles with GPS units. He'd also like to outfit the vehicles with video cameras, which have become standard in other departments.

"For smaller departments, keeping up with the times ... can be cost-prohibitive," he said. "It's a perfect opportunity to get some things we normally don't even look at."

Swissvale Police Chief Greg Geppert also is hoping to update his department's system, buying new laptops for police vehicles so they can more easily link into a network that taps into video cameras at local schools, so officers can monitor the schools remotely. He also hopes to buy new bulletproof vests and Tasers.

Copyright 2009 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette