2023 Byrne Local Allocation for illegal firearm reduction and officer safety through technology and equipment.

The City of Benton Harbor is proposing to use these funds to restore the K9 patrol program.  This service was phased out for budget reasons in 2005.   The City of Benton Harbor has a very high per capita rating of violent crime, consistently in the top 10 in Michigan for most violent. 

The K9 sought would be a dual-purpose dog.  The dog would be trained for seeking firearms and tracking. 

The firearms tracking piece would help the DPS in the fight to locate illegal weapons and be one more tool to lower violence incrementally.

The K9 would also track both missing persons and fleeing subjects.   This will help in both of those situations. 

The department would also be able to use the dog for PR and events to bridge the perceived gap between the public and the DPS. 

This grant will cover the acquisition of the dog, training, and equipment necessary for the dog.  The remaining vehicle cost will be integrated into the fleet rotation and will not be a new burden. 

The Benton Charter Township Police Department is proposing to use these funds to purchase new exterior vests for the entire department. 

BTPD has a mandatory vest wear policy.   

BTPD, previous administrations were not proactive on the industry standard of vest replacement every 5 years and everyone in the department needed a new vest.  In the process of this BTPD went to a exterior vest with the ability to move accessories from the belt to the vest, thus making it easier for staff backs and lessening the injury risk.  These vests will be used for 5 years and then replaced on the industry standard.

The County of Berrien plans to utilize the awarded funds for the purchase of Falcon Cameras from Flock Group, Inc, and have them strategically placed around the County in an attempt to detect and solve crime.

Due to several delays in the set-up process, the Flock Group, Inc has only recently completed the installation of the twenty cameras and the test and evaluation time has not ended as of August, 2023.

As a result of this, the County of Berrien has not been billed for this service, yet.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office does intend to submit the paid invoice from the Flock Group, Inc. for reimbursement later this year (2023) once the test and evaluation time has ended and the Sheriff’s Office receives an invoice for the service.  This is expected in October.