The Benton Township Police Department is getting some updated equipment.
Speaking to the Benton Township Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Tuesday, Deputy Chief Blake McKinney said since he and Chief Greg Abrams started in 2023, they’ve been working to replace the majority of the department’s equipment because they found it to be out of date. They’ve made a lot of progress.
“As of today, the chief and I have hired seven new officers that we sent to the police academy to obtain their certifications, and we were also able to replace the majority of our outdated equipment,” McKinney said.
However, McKinney said the in-car radars and tasers remain outdated. He told trustees the department has been awarded a $29,000 grant that will cover the full cost of purchasing nine new radar units. That’s not all.
“We received a secondary grant this year from the Edward Byrne Justice Program for the amount of $28,134. The chief and I would like to apply this grant to purchase seven new tasers and supplies that come with them, which include the batteries, cartridges, and training materials.”
However, McKinney said this grant won’t cover the full cost of the tasers. He said there will be a $16,000 balance. Therefore, the department is planning to seek another grant next year to make up the difference. In the meantime, it asked trustees for permission to move ahead with the purchases. Trustees agreed.
McKinney noted since 2023, the Benton Township Police Department has been awarded $297,000 in grants for training and equipment.
