Harrisburg Police Bureau vehicle (file photo)
The Harrisburg Police Bureau plans to enhance its crime prevention efforts with money from two newly awarded state grants.
The city announced on Thursday that it was awarded over $3.3 million in a pair of grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency that will help the bureau hire staff and purchase equipment.
“The Harrisburg Bureau of Police is grateful to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency on their grant award to the City of Harrisburg to enhance our law enforcement efforts to reduce crime and gun violence,” said Deputy Police Chief Dennis Sorensen.
According to the city, $2.2 million originates from the state’s Local Law Enforcement Support Grant Program and another $1.26 million from its Gun Violence Investigation & Prosecution Grant Program.
With the money from the support grant, the bureau plans to purchase a license plate reader to identify plates of those suspected of illegal activity and a laser scanner, which will improve crime scene processing. They also will purchase additional body-worn cameras.
The bureau also plans to enhance its officer wellness program and hire a mental health professional to support officers.
The gun violence investigation grant will go towards overtime pay for officers for multi-agency saturation details in high-crime areas. It will also fund the purchase of a gunshot detection technology system to help determine where gunshots are fired in incidents when 911 is not called.
Additionally, the bureau plans to purchase video doorbell cameras for homes and install porch lights in high-crime areas.
“Our local police face a wide range of challenges every day and deserve the latest equipment and resources to help them protect our communities,” said state Sen. John DiSanto.
On Wednesday, DiSanto announced $5.3 million in grants from the local law enforcement support program for bureaus across Dauphin County.
The state commission on crime and delinquency received the money as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. Harrisburg applied for the grants in October and received the most money in Dauphin County.
Additional Dauphin County grant recipients include:
- Derry Township ($115,008) for automatic license plate readers, GrayKey digital forensics access tool, Axiom forensics analysis tool and training to utilize the digital forensics equipment.
- Highspire Borough ($65,078) for portable radios and associated software, laptops and tablets and associated software.
- Lower Paxton Township ($874,973) for records management system upgrade, license plate reader system, a co-responder position, a forensic staff position and interview room cameras.
- Lower Swatara Township ($102,716) for retention bonuses, laptops, a mental health co-responder, partial police academy tuition fees and recruitment bonuses.
- Middletown Borough ($41,562) for a stationary multi-camera license plate reader system and mobile data terminals for police vehicles.
- Penbrook Borough ($210,238) for a part-time civilian accreditation manager, portable radios, mobile radios and associated installation and equipment costs.
- Steelton Borough ($105,712) for office computers and monitors, software upgrades, in-car computers and associated costs, tablet, office laptops, a parking enforcement officer and an officer wellness program.
- Susquehanna Township ($1 million) for the purchase and implementation of a new motor vehicle recorder and body-worn camera system, upgrade to the server/cloud retention systems, forensic cellular equipment, and the installation and implementation of license plate recognition devices.
- Swatara Township ($549,016) for hard drive for data storage, drying cabinets, surveillance cameras, body-worn cameras, cellular phone analytical equipment, license plate readers, tablets, radios, a portable fingerprint scanner, an officer wellness program and additional training for officers.
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