The Derry Town Council has approved a grant of $10,613.52 to allow the Derry Police Department to purchase three portable radios.
Police Chief Ed Garone spoke to the grant, and the need for the radios, at the Oct. 1 Town Council meeting.
“If it sounds familiar, it is,” Garone said, noting that the Council had approved similar requests in October and December of 2012. The previous two grants were for $97,574 and $21,795.
The grants, through the Department of Homeland Security, provide “interoperability,” Garone said. Simply put, “That means everyone can talk to everyone.”
As an example, he used the 1997 shootings in Colebrook, where Carl Drega killed two State Troopers, a judge and a newspaper editor. “At that time, it was difficult for law enforcement officers to communicate with each other,” Garone said.
In the public hearing, resident Kelly Martin asked, “Is this a capability we already have?” She noted that Homeland Security money isn’t free money, but comes out of the pockets of taxpayers.
Garone said the equipment he hoped to purchase was similar to what the department already had. “We have made 35 previous purchases,” he said, noting that the goal is to have a personal radio for each officer. “They take ownership of them,” he explained.
The Council voted 7-0 to approve accepting the grant.
