Both the Southborough Police Department and the Fire Department recently got word that grants they applied for have been approved.
The SPD is announcing that state grants will cover close to $25K for replacing computer equipment in patrol cars, over $20K focused on safe driving enforcement efforts, and over $40K to apply towards supervisor salaries for overseeing 911 operators.
And the SFD was awarded over $28K by FEMA to spend on equipment to help wildfire fighting efforts.
I’m sharing more detail on each below:
SFD FEMA Grant
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Mark Purple explained that SFD will use its grant to purchase brush equipment needed when they respond to fires off-road and out in fields. FEMA committed $28,076.19 towards the budgeted $29,480 expense. The SFD will only have to match $1,403.81.
I’m not 100% confident, but I don’t believe this “Assistance to Firefighters Grant” is among the FEMA grants that made news last week as reportedly in jeopardy of being clawed back.1
You can read the FEMA letter from the Select Board’s packet here for more details.
SPD State Grants
On Tuesday, Purple also highlighted the two grants the SPD received for equipment and traffic safety. This morning, a press release from the department explained those, along with the grant for dispatch supervision.
I followed up with Chief Ryan Newell. It turns out that the dispatch award is breaking news, but not really big news.
It’s a grant they apply for every year, and had already accounted for in their budget for this fiscal year. So it won’t lower the budget previously approved or add staffing hours beyond what was planned. But they would have had to make adjustments if it hadn’t come through, so it is still good news.
Here’s the press release:
Chief Ryan Newell is pleased to announce that the Southborough Police Department has been awarded three state grants totaling approximately $85,200 to support equipment upgrades, traffic safety initiatives, and public safety communications.
The funding was awarded through multiple programs administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the State 911 Department.
The Department received $24,796 through the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to replace its aging in-cruiser laptops with new Panasonic TOUGHBOOKs, keyboards, and docking stations.
These upgrades will enhance reliability and communication for patrol officers in the field. The grant is administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants & Research.
Southborough Police also received $20,247 in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds through the FY26 Municipal Road Safety Grant Program.
The grant will fund overtime patrols focusing on impaired driving, distracted driving, seat belt enforcement, and speeding. It will also cover the purchase of a handheld LIDAR device, a speed-measuring tool that allows officers to identify violations with greater accuracy. The grant is also administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants & Research.
The Department’s Communications Center was also awarded $40,160 through the State 911 Department Support and Incentive Grant to help offset personnel costs for enhanced 911 telecommunicators and emergency dispatch supervisors.
“These grants will help ease the financial burden on taxpayers while allowing the Southborough Police Department to operate more professionally, efficiently, and to better serve our residents,” said Chief Newell. “We appreciate the ongoing support of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the State 911 Department in helping us enhance our services for the residents of Southborough.”
- The grant was for FY24 FEMA program. The window for applications closed last December, but the announcements weren’t made until a few weeks ago, just days before funding appropriation were purportedly at risk of being returned to the Treasury. In late September, the Dept of Homeland Security finally announced FEMA grants. Then last week, there was news about the federal administration threatening to claw back some made to blue “sanctuary” states including Massachusetts, followed by a federal judge blocking that order. I can’t verify, but while some grants to firefighters appeared to be on that list, I don’t believe the one named “Assistance to Firefighters Grant” was under that category. And this award was directly from FEMA to the Town of Southborough, not through an award made through the state.
