Grants help Texas police stay up to date

By Alexandra Carter
KETK

LONGVIEW, Texas — As technology changes, police need the latest equipment to keep up.

In East Texas, grants are making it possible for police to stay up to speed with the latest innovations. Technology is ever changing. Local police departments depend heavily on the latest technology innovations to make their jobs possible. But, with new technology comes a steep price tag that most small departments can't afford. That's why local police departments like East Mountain say they're thankful for grants from organizations like The East Texas Council of Governments. East Mountain Police Chief Betty Davis says " a lot of bigger P.Ds have budgets that can put those things in place..we do not. So we depend heavily on grants."

Departments applying for ECTOG grants go through an application process and attend workshops. Hallsville Police Department has just received a $66,000 grant to put computers in their vehicles. East Mountain received a $22,000 grant to do the same thing. The computers have a program called Copsync which includes license readers, ticket printers and automated offense reporting features, and surveillance cameras.

Full Story: Grants help local police stay up to date with technology