Porter County Sheriff gets tech grant

A $400,000 federal grant will help the Porter County Sheriff’s Office with technology upgrades for its officers and pay for traffic cameras that track license plates of suspect vehicles.

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-Highland) and Porter County Sheriff Jeff Balon announced the COPS Technology and Equipment grant award at a press conference Monday at the Porter County Sheriff’s Office.

The money will be used to supply 77 laptop computers for all patrol officers, a network infrastructure upgrade, a dedicated network storage device for the detective bureau and computer docking stations for station personnel.

The federal dollars will also help pay for the sheriff’s office subscription for the Flock Camera system. The cameras are posted on various main roads within the county and are relied upon to track license numbers of vehicles involved in suspicious activities.

“We are incredibly thankful for this grant and these much needed upgrades for our agency. We want to thank all who were involved in every step of this process in selecting our agency to receive these funds,” Sheriff Balon said.

Mrvan congratulated the Porter County Sheriff’s Office for successfully obtaining the grant to help keep communities safe.

“Let us continue to build on this tangible action and collaborate to provide our selfless law enforcement officers and first responders with the technology and resources to perform their services to the best of their abilities,” Mrvan said.