Leander Police Chief Greg Minton presented the details of the grant at the Leander City Council meeting Nov. 21. The DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Service awarded $236,000 on Sept. 30 as part of a federal grant program the department applied for in 2023.
The new funds will go toward needed improvements, including furnishing license plate reader cameras, a forensic computer station and new dispatch equipment, in addition to hiring two new dispatchers.
Minton said there were no matching funds required for the grant.
Two-minute impact
“The goal of this grant program is to increase the community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts of law enforcement agencies,” Minton said, noting the department took inventory to figure out what updates would best meet the criteria. He said the department identified license plate cameras, forensic computer capacity and dispatch capacity as three areas where the funding would make the greatest impact.
Dig deeper
The new license plate readers will be the first in the city, Minton said, and will be deployed to help keep speeding under control. The new forensic computer work station will allow the department to download data from cellphones or other electronic devices found at crime scenes.
The department will also add a fourth dispatch console, which Minton said will help alleviate incoming call traffic. The department just had a record year for service calls, receiving over 44,000. With the addition of a fourth console and two new dispatchers, the department will be able to field more calls and deploy officers more efficiently.