3 Lake County police departments get slice of $3.3M ICJI grant
Plans include body cameras, license plate readers
Police departments in Cedar Lake, Crown Point and Hobart were among 50 law enforcement and government agencies in the state awarded part of $3.3 million in grants for public safety and crime prevention initiatives through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Cedar Lake plans to purchase bodycams, Crown Point plans to purchase a license plate reader camera system and Hobart plans to purchase a station automated license plate recognition crime deterrent and reduction program with their share of the funds provided by the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program through the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.
“Byrne JAG plays an important role in equipping communities with the tools and resources they need to address crime and keep people safe,” Devon McDonald, ICJI executive director, said.
“This funding is a catalyst for improving how our justice system operates and responds to issues like violent crime,” he said.
Grant funds will be distributed this month and must be spent by Dec. 31.
The Cedar Lake Police Department was awarded $79,345 toward the purchase 27 Watch Guard body worn cameras with an in-car camera integration system and additional equipment to support the system operations.
Cedar Lake Police Chief Bill Fisher said the JAG grant will enable the department to begin the process of the purchase. The grant covers about 25% of the total cost of the purchase, which includes the body cameras and vehicle cameras they work in conjunction with.
Fisher said the department is working with the town to find the additional funds needed to complete the purchase. Fisher said it will take about 20 weeks to receive the product and there will be some installation time for the vehicle cameras.
“I believe that body cameras and vehicle cameras are a necessity for law enforcement and it will help our department in many ways, not just for prosecution, but complaints, vehicle pursuits and general interaction with the public on calls,” Fisher said.
Fisher said the goal is to have the system up and running sometime this summer.
Police in Crown Point will receive $44,895 to purchase and install a fixed license plate reader camera system as part of the department’s overall efforts to enhance the information sharing and transparency among law enforcement agencies.
Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land said that camera already is up and running. Prior to the grant application, he was working with alternate sources of funding to be able to make the purchase so he was able to move forward once he learned his grant application was successful.
“The LPR has been purchased, installed and is operational on 109th Avenue,” Land said. The unit has multiple cameras so it is able to capture all lanes of traffic. “Our longterm goal is to install LPR systems in different parts of Crown Point.”
Crown Point Police also have one mobile LRP unit affixed to a specially marked squad car. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department installed a unit near the Interstate 65 and U.S. 231 interchange, which so far has been useful in investigations, he said.
Hobart Police will receive $47,500 to enhance the department’s ability to identify and recover stolen vehicles and to assist the surrounding communities in doing the same with the purchase and installation of a stationary license plate recognition crime deterrent and reduction program.
Hobart Police Capt. James Gonzalez said the department is excited to be able to use the technology.
“It will be very beneficial to the City of Hobart and our residents, but fortunately, it won’t be beneficial to the criminal element,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the department would not have been able to afford the cameras without the grant.
“The cost of this technology is prohibitive for many municipalities, so we are very fortunate to have received this JAG grant through ICJI,” Gonzalez said.
The department is seeking bids from three vendors for 19 cameras to be installed throughout the city. Gonzalez said he is hopeful the equipment will be up and running within 90 days.
“Once we have the LPR systems mounted in the observation areas throughout the city, we will share the locations so the public is aware and our citizens can refer to them if they are the victim of a crime,” Gonzalez said.
The system will provide up-to-the-minute information to officers as they are investigating active crimes — those which have happened within the past 30 minutes — along with historical data for crimes not immediately reported.
LPR systems installed in other communities have increased the ability to recover stolen vehicles and assist in solving other crimes such as homicides, robberies and thefts. Gonzalez said the department expects to increase its criminal prosecutions and ideally deter the criminal element from committing crimes in the city in the first place.
“We want to make Northwest Indiana a safer place for everyone by working with other agencies and creating a comprehensive communication network with law enforcement so we can create an example of what proactive policing can achieve and how,” Gonzalez said.