Grants will help enhance salaries, upgrade equipment and defray costs
The Bates County Sheriff’s Office received a $10,000.00 grant from the State of Missouri’s Local Law Enforcement Block Grant to purchase safety equipment for its deputies. The grant is a 10% matching grant and will be used to upgrade outdated radio equipment in the patrol cars.
The Missouri Sheriff’s Methamphetamine Relief Taskforce announces Bates County to receive a $29,648.31 Deputy Sheriff Salary Supplementation Fund Grant. The Grant is a 100% grant with no matching funds. The grants purpose is to supplement the salary of each Deputy to bring the salary to $28,000 a year. The grant is for funding from January to June and has to be re-applied for in June. In June the Sheriff’s Office is expecting to receive the grant again for an estimated $29,000.00. The Supplemental Fund was created by statute in 2007 but had been contested in the courts until the Supreme Court ruled that it was valid.
The Sheriff’s Office will also benefit from a JAG grant received by CNET Drug Taskforce of which the Bates Sheriff’s Office is a member and plays an important role. The grant will reimburse Bates County for salaries and benefits of two full-time deputies and one part-time deputy for the purpose of combating drugs and violent crimes in our area. The grant also reimburses the county for the cost of fuel, vehicle maintenance, buy money for undercover drug deals and training cost associated with the drug taskforce. In compliance with the grant members of the Bates County Sheriff’s Office just received training from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The grant is expected to reimburse Bates County an estimated $125,000.
Federal grants like these have allowed the County to purchase much needed equipment and technology that it normally wouldn’t be able to afford without asking for local funds. Along with grants funding, the Sheriff’s Office has been able to receive equipment from the Department of Defense’s excess property program. Utilizing programs like the excess property programs and applying for grants has been beneficial to the tax payers of Bates County. These programs along with managing expenses have enabled the Sheriff’s Office to consistently remain well under budget every year.
