News
Russellville PD receives $24K grant for tasers
Posted on May 9, 2023
Originally published in the Times Daily.
A nearly $24,000 federal grant has allowed Police Chief Chris Hargett to upgrade the department’s tasers.
The $23,959, is part of a $96,000 funding package designed to improve public safety in four northwest Alabama jurisdictions, according to a news release from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
The money is also part of a $750,000 funding package provided to the state by the U.S. Department of Justice and administered by ADECA.
Hargett said the department has some tasers, but like many pieces of equipment, they become old and outdated.
“We’ve had the old tasers when they first came out, but we started having issues with them,” he said.
So, the department now has 18 new tasers on order.
“The total grant was $23,959, but from the time that we started the grant to the time it got awarded, the cost of tasers went up,” Hargett said. “The city absorbed the extra cost.”
The grant total was $25,884, he said.
Along with the new tasers, Hargett said the department also ordered 18 battery packs and holsters for the tasers.
Hargett said the taser is a necessary tool for law enforcement officers.
He said it offers a way for officers to get a person under control without using deadly force, which benefits both the officer and the suspect.
The new equipment arrived last Wednesday and is being distributed to officers.
Mayor David Grissom thanked the chief for applying for the grant. He also thanked the governor, ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell, state Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, and state Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, for their part in helping secure the grant funds.
“These grant funds will allow us to purchase much-needed equipment that we did not have budgeted,” Grissom said.
In addition to Russellville, grants were also provided to police departments in Fayette, Cordova, and the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office to purchase equipment.
“Law enforcement face dangers every day as they keep watch over our neighborhoods and communities,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “We must ensure they have the equipment they need to both effectively and safely perform their jobs. These grant funds will be beneficial in that effort.”
Fayette received $24,000 to purchase a new patrol vehicle for the police department, while Cordova received $23,941 to purchase additional tools, equipment and technology.
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Department received $24,000 to purchase a new patrol vehicle.