Grant will aid city police dept.

A homeland security grant to benefit the Green River Police Department was approved by the City Council last night.

The grant totals $45,954 and will not require any funds from the city and is fully reimbursable. The grant will be used to fund new secure proximity card-reader doors for city hall and the police department, as well as security cameras for the police department and parks and recreation department.

“We sat down and thought, what are our needs,” Lt. Burke Morin said.

Morin said the new security cameras will help the GRPD in a number of ways.

“There are several places in town that we think could use them that are kind of problem areas, whether it’s to monitor traffic or to monitor crime,” he said.

The department believes the cameras will help them apprehend the people who are committing the crimes, and will help identify suspects involved in criminal activity.

Morin said there have been trailer thefts which will be easier to identify with cameras in town and corresponding cameras at the edge of town to spot the stolen items. Cameras could also be placed in city parks, Morin said. A city parks and recreation shed was broken into and items were stolen recently. City parks have suffered damaged property on occasion as well.

Cameras, visible or discrete will help the GRPD in those aspects. The card-key doors, he said will be a lot more accessible and easier to work with, as well as more secure. If the card is lost, it can be deactivated and doesn’t cost as much to replace as it does a key, or to change the locks of the entire building.

“You can program the card to work at certain times of the day,” Morin said. “It runs it’s course and can’t be usable anymore as apposed to a key.”