Rockland Police Departments Win State Grants

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Grants for new technology were awarded to the Rockland County Sheriff's Office and local police departments last month by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Clarkstown's was by far the largest.

The local Law Enforcement Technology grants:

• Rockland County Sheriff's Office $180,000
• Suffern Village Police Department $74,500
• Town of Orangetown Police Department $100,000
• Clarkstown Police Department $807,588
• Town of Haverstraw Police Department $185,000
• Village of Piermont Police Department $168,000
• Ramapo Police Department $177,000
• Village of Spring Valley Police Department $131,405
• Stony Point Police Department $142,500

Clarkstown officials released details after a Freedom of Information Law request from Patch, saying that their application had requested unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), software applications for development and deployment, patrol vehicle equipment including PCs or tablets, scanners and printers, and fixed and mobile license plate readers.

Elsewhere the funding will support a variety of equipment, including but not limited to that kind of equipment plus mobile and fixed camera systems, computer-aided dispatch systems and gunshot detection devices.

The state provided $127 million in the new budget to police departments and sheriffs’ offices outside of New York City for new technology and equipment. In all, 378 law enforcement agencies responded to the state’s application for funding last fall.

It's part of record-level investments in public safety and criminal justice funding in the FY25 Enacted Budget, state officials said, including additional funding to target retail theft, combat gun violence and domestic violence, and fund community-based programs that serve victims and survivors of crime.

"By investing in the latest technology and equipment, we’re responding to the requests of law enforcement agencies as they look to safeguard the future of our state," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.