Porter County receives $400K grant to enhance technology to combat crime

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the receipt of a $400,000 Community Oriented Policing Services grant Monday morning with a visit from U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, that will allow it to continue using technology that helps take those accused of violent crimes off the street.

“It’s a force multiplier,” Mrvan said of the Flock Safety technology that was used just last week to help apprehend a murder suspect on U.S. 30 in Valparaiso. “What this technology does is it puts eyes on the bad guys.”

Flock Safety uses a network of around 70 solar-powered cameras that are placed around Porter County to read license plates. Patrol officers receive texts or alerts when a plate is associated with someone wanted on a warrant.

Four of the cameras are portable and the rest are placed at important intersections throughout the county. “They’re wonderful tools,” said Sgt. Benjamin McFalls, public information officer for the Porter County Sheriff’s Office.

Since the department began using the cameras in 2022 they have led to: 16 narcotics investigations resulting in heroin, cocaine, and marijuana seizures and arrests; the recovery of 23 stolen vehicles; the apprehension of 83 wanted suspects, two for murder; 177 felony driver’s license violations; and the identification of 21 criminal suspects identified in a range of crimes including sexual misconduct with a minor and attempted bank robbery.

Mrvan told those gathered, who included Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann and a variety of sheriff’s office staff, that he had been able to see the technology in action when he rode along with Sgt. Chris Winterhaler on patrol.

“When you say you need more men and women on the streets I hear you,” he told them. “I will walk arm and arm, shoulder to shoulder, to make sure you have the resources necessary to make Porter County safer.”

A one-year subscription to Flock Safety costs $176,000. A portion of the grant will be used to pay for another year, as well as 77 laptops for all patrol officers, network infrastructure upgrades, a network storage device for the Detective Bureau, and docking stations for station personnel. Porter County Sheriff Jeff Balon said the right equipment for his staff is nonnegotiable.

“Technology is a vital part of today’s law enforcement; as the criminal element becomes more advanced, law enforcement has to keep up with that,” he said.

Germann added that Porter County should be held up as a model for the nation because controlling serious criminality is a bipartisan problem. “It takes money to do what we do and actually fight crime,” he said.