Two Grants Awarded to the Pelham Police Department
The Pelham Police Department is excited to announce two recent grant awards for our town.
On October 30th, the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Associate (MIIA), awarded Pelham $5,895.49 for the purchase of three BolaWrap units. BolaWrap is a non-lethal tool that deploys a Kevlar tether to safely restrain individuals from a distance, significantly mitigating the risk of injury to both officers and subjects during confrontations. The Pelham Police Department employs 3 full time officers, and several 1/2 time and reserve officers. Because of our limited staffing, the majority of our shifts consist of a single officer being on duty. In the event of a call type that requires additional officers, we rely on both neighboring jurisdictions as well as the Mass State Police. Unfortunately, the response time from neighboring jurisdictions can be extended, leaving the single Pelham officer vulnerable. The BolaWrap device allows officers to apprehend non-compliant individuals without resorting to batons or pepper spray, effectively lowering the risk of injuries to all parties involved. The Pelham Police Department is committed to taking a significant step towards building a stronger, more cohesive community, while simultaneously safeguarding the welfare of its residents and officers.
Additionally, on November 15th, the Edward J. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, awarded Pelham $6,549.88 for the purchase of two Microsoft Surface Pro Cellular tablets, as well as two Mobile Reporting Clients from Central Square RMS. The additional Mobile Reporting licenses that are loaded onto the tablets are critical for officer response and continued communication with both our dispatch center as well as officers in the field. These two new licenses and tablets will be used by supervisors that currently do not have priority access to such capabilities. Currently, our Police Department is using our existing Mobile licenses for marked patrol cars as well as in station use only. Supervisors not using a marked patrol unit, nor inside the station, will now have real time access to vehicle inquiries, CAD (computer aided dispatch) call creation, visibility to officer location while on a call or motor vehicle stop as well as increased written communication to dispatchers and patrol vehicles, among other capabilities.
The Pelham Police Department will continue to take advantage of future competitive grant options that further increase our commitment to safety to the residents of Pelham and those traveling through it.
Respectfully,
Lt. Derick Lamoureux