By Monica Sager
The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
LAWRENCE, Mass. — The Lawrence Police Department will receive about a quarter of the allocated grants from the Healey-Driscoll administration announced last week to support public safety staffing.
“Through this investment, cities are able to maintain vital public safety services and provide mutual aid to neighboring towns,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “These grants support the life-saving work of first responders and help public safety agencies to meet the needs of those they serve.”
The program will award a total of $4,799,696.48 to eligible communities. Lawrence’s police will receive $1,005,200.02, or 21% of the funding.
“It’s very satisfying to be able to be provided with funds for our emblematic city of Lawrence, especially when it comes to public safety,” said Mayor Brian De Peña. “For our administration, this is a priority for our citizens and neighboring cities.”
This is the most a single department is receiving from the awards. Fall River will be given $1,342,365.00, but that is allocated to both its Fire and Police departments.
“Local police and fire personnel are the first line of protection for our communities. Ensuring that public safety agencies can maintain staffing is essential to protecting our communities and keeping our residents safe,” said Terrence Reidy, secretary of public safety and security.
The grant is part of Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll’s ongoing commitment to ensure communities across the state are safe. The funding is going to support nine other communities’ municipal police and fire services in addition to the Lawrence Police Department.
The Haverhill Police Department will receive $203,160. Chief Robert Pistone said the funds will be used toward performing duties outside of routine patrol, such as traffic enforcement, ATV patrols, walking beats, and drug intervention.
“Without these funds we would not be able to perform these duties to the level we can through the Municipal Staffing Grant,” Pistone said. “The MS Grant enables us to provide full public safety services to our community.”
Haverhill’s Fire Department will get $75,000. This will go toward uniforms, books and academy costs for new firefighters, according to Chief Robert O’Brien.
“This program empowers local leaders to identify and direct funds toward staffing for police and fire departments to ensure sufficient community services are available,” Driscoll said. “These grants reflect our administration’s dedication to promoting public safety and keeping our communities safe.”
This allocation is in addition to the over $4.1 million check the Haverhill Fire Department received two weeks ago for more staff and equipment through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant. Haverhill will use those federal monies to pay for 16 new firefighters.
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