By Steve Lord
Beacon-News (Aurora, Ill.)
AURORA, Ill. — The Aurora City Council recently approved accepting a justice assistance grant that will be used to buy water rescue equipment for the police department.
The council approved accepting money from the Edward Byrne Memorial Local Justice Assistance Grant program, which was awarded last September.
The total award of $73,248 will be shared between Aurora, Elgin and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, as it has been since Aurora began getting the award in 2009.
This year, Aurora officials said they will spend their part of the grant on water rescue equipment for the Aurora Police Department.
This year’s award, which was determined by a Department of Justice allocation formula, was $73,248. Specifically, $50,758 was allocated to Aurora and $22,490 to Elgin.
Kane County was categorized as an agency that did not submit the level of violent crime data sufficient to qualify for a direct award. Historically, Aurora and Elgin have both shared 30% of this award with Kane County.
Under that formula, the 2023 justice assistance grant would have Aurora receiving $33,641, Elgin receiving $15,743 and Kane County receiving $23,864.
The Aurora Police Department will use the award to buy water rescue kits which will be deployed to first-responding uniformed patrol officers. The department currently has 85 squad cars equipped with water rescue kits. The funding will allow the department to buy at least another 50 water rescue kits and replacement parts.
According to Aurora Police Department officials, the department has actively participated in a number of water rescue events in the city. While the Aurora Fire Department maintains water rescue equipment, in most cases, police officers are first on the scene and are often required to take immediate life-saving action, officials said.
The water rescue kits allow police officers to safely and effectively provide rescue efforts immediately, police officials said.
In the past, the police department has used the Edward Byrne grant monty for Segways used in foot patrols, a narcotics analyzer, bicycles, an off-road cargo vehicle, night vision equipment and to develop an online portal to provide easier access to police information.
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