By Conor Berry
The Berkshire Eagle
Two Berkshire police departments plan to use federal crime-fighting funds procured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to deter gang violence and to hire a new police officer.
The grants, totaling $369,415, will help combat crime in Pittsfield and North Adams, the county s only two cities.
Pittsfield officials announced this week that the city received a $178,113 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to counter gang activity in the city, while North Adams officials learned late last month that the city received a $191,302 Justice Department grant to hire a new officer.
“In these tough economic times, seeking out grants becomes critical,” Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto said.
Over the past several years, Ruberto said, Pittsfield s Gang Intelligence Unit “has evolved from simply an intelligence-gathering and analysis team into a fully capable street enforcement unit.”
The stimulus money will help Pittsfield expand the unit s scope, including heightening awareness about gangs through education and increasing the level of street-level interdiction training for gang unit members.
“The Pittsfield Police Department is committed to aggressive gang enforcement in Pittsfield and the surrounding areas,” Chief Michael J. Wynn said.
Meanwhile, North Adams $191,302 grant comes from a pool of nearly $29 million in stimulus funds directed to 13 Massachusetts police departments. The grant is administered by the Justice Department s office of Community Oriented Policy Services, or COPS, which covers 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry-level police officer positions for a three-year period.
North Adams Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco was unavailable for comment Friday, according to a department spokesman.
“These COPS funds are vital,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement announcing the awards. “Police departments across our commonwealth must have the resources needed to have enough officers on the streets to keep our citizens and our communities safe.”
The Boston Police Department received the lion s share of the COPS money, or $11.8 million of the $29 million, which it will use to hire 50 new officers. Holyoke, the only other Western Massachusetts municipality to apply for COPS funds, received $1.3 million to hire six new officers.
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