Grants 'stimulate' law-enforcement budgets

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Libby City Police Department will receive more than $58,000 as part of a state law enforcement grant stemming from the federal stimulus package.

Almost $39,000 will go to the sheriff’s office and about $19,400 to Libby Police.

“I’d say 90 percent of it will go toward equipment,” Sheriff Daryl Anderson said. “There are a lot of things we need – Tasers, shotguns, bulletproof vests – all equipment that needed to be replaced to begin with.”

Anderson doesn’t have plans yet for the remaining 10 percent. He said it’s too early to tell.

Chief of Police Clay Coker hasn’t given much thought to what he will do with the one-time payment either.

“We would probably replace old equipment,” Coker pondered, “or purchase things we’ve been holding off on, like practice ammunition.”

Over $3 million was granted to the Montana Board of Crime Control and $1.8 million to 20 cities and 24 counties. Flathead County received the most money at $106,197 and the city of Missoula topped the chart at $182,052.

A decrease in federal funding has negatively impacted law enforcement and public safety in Montana, said Roland Mena, executive director of the Montana Board of Crime Control, in a press release.

“(The grant) is not only timely given the economic downturn,” Mena said, “but will be a boost to Montana law enforcement who have struggled to maintain their efforts to keep Montanans safe and protect our quality of life.”

The Board of Crime Control plans to continue supporting law-enforcement programs with the money, as well as host a website designed to guide local law enforcers through the process of obtaining grants.

The $4,972,500 in stimulus package money came from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law last month.