Braintree Receives $65K For Police Upgrades

BRAINTREE, MA — The Braintree Police Department was awarded two grants of about $40,000 for protective equipment and technology the department uses on a daily basis.

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Office awarded the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants to several South Shore communities including Braintree, East Bridgewater, Randolph, Sharon and Stoughton, and Braintree got $40,000 from this grant. Braintree also received a $25,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Byrne grant will be used to by equipment for the department's covert operations. The equipment purchased through the grant will provide the department with new technological tools, as well as supplement the inventory of existing tools that are widely used by the Braintree Police Department's investigative bureau, Police Chief Mark Dubois said.

"Advancements in technology continue to assist investigators in their collection of evidence to be used to further investigations and are critical to the safety of the Braintree Police investigators throughout investigations," Dubois said. "The equipment purchased with these funds will be instrumental in ensuring that the department not only provides investigators with the equipment they need to continue to do their jobs, but to ensure the safety of the investigators."

The highway grant will be used for equipment and traffic safety enforcement. About $6,400 will be used to purchase new handheld radar units to replace the department's aging inventory. The remainder of the grant will be used for enforcement activities that coincide with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's enforcement campaigns throughout the year.

"The primary goal of these national traffic safety campaigns is to make the streets of Braintree safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, and we are thankful for the NHTSA funds that will allow us to continue our participation in these campaigns," Deputy Chief Timothy Cohoon said.