A grant for $9,000 might not seem like a lot, but for the Guadalupe Police Department it’s a great starting point.
Earlier this month, Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) announced that the department will receive funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In an interview with the Sun, Guadalupe Police Chief George Mitchell said the “very timely grant” will go toward upgrading the department’s technology, replacing outdated and broken equipment such as radios, cameras, and tape recorders.
“We’re going to purchase digital cameras to use at crime scenes and digital tape recorders to use in our interviews,” Mitchell said, adding that the equipment will help the department meet the court’s evidence standards.
The grant money will also help improve the safety of officers working out on the streets.
“They’ll be able to wear new handheld radios on their safety belts,” Mitchell said.
Mollie Hansen, a sergeant with the department, said the old equipment was creating a safety hazard because of broken switches and defunct batteries.
“We can’t find tapes for our recorders or batteries for our flashlights. They have to be special ordered,” Hansen said. “They just don’t make them anymore.”
Along with the grant for the equipment, the department has applied for larger grants to help retain personnel.
“We have our fingers crossed that we get the others,” Chief Mitchell said. “We’re hoping it’ll let us hire new officers to fill vacant positions.”
Currently, the department has 12 sworn officers, four civilian officers, and several reserve officers—but not all of those
positions are filled. Because of the
staffing shortfall, the department has to be more aware of officer burnout and other scheduling hazards.
“If we were staffed like we’re supposed to be, we could make it work,” Mitchell said. “But with less people it becomes a real challenge.”
He said he expects to hear whether or not the department received the other grants in late August or early September.
This article appears in Jul 23-30, 2009.