Santa Clarita City Council members accepted nearly $21,000 in federal grant dollars Tuesday to purchase technologically advanced equipment for law enforcement aimed at helping prevent and control crime.
Council members accepted $20,925 — the total granted to the city from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, which awarded $72.19 million to more than 900 recipients, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Under the federal program, funds can be invested in additional personnel and a variety of supplies and programs, including prosecution and court, prevention and education, drug treatment and enforcement, community corrections, and behavioral and crisis intervention teams.
In Santa Clarita, officials indicated funds will be used to purchase equipment to “enhance existing law enforcement, advance community policing efforts to help reduce crime, address quality-of-life issues, and safeguard public safety” across Santa Clarita, according to a city staff report.
Every year, the City Council has approved the grant funding for the SCV Sheriff’s Station to use, most of which has gone for the purchase of technologically advanced equipment. This year’s grant funding is a decrease of more than $3,200 from that of 2019.
Funds, which are allocated using a formula based on each jurisdiction’s share of the total violent crimes reported within each state, are expected to be used on equipment that addresses traffic safety and enforcement, search and surveillance, and active shooter training. Items such as handheld lidar units, training aids, sponge rounds, digital cameras, rechargeable battery packs, a microphone, voice recorders and a telescoping ladder are among the equipment expected to be purchased, according to the city.
Over the past recent years, the city has typically been awarded more than $20,000 and has purchased technology to improve traffic, such as electronic ticket writers and instruments to help in recovering stolen vehicles.
