By Sherry Greenfield
Carroll County Times, Westminster, Md.
WESTMINSTER, Md. — Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees requested commissioners’ approval last week to purchase 13 sets of updated night vision goggles for deputies to aid in search and rescue operations. Commissioners unanimously approved the request Thursday.
The goggles’ cost, $57,410.55, will be covered by a fiscal 2023 Urban Area Security Initiative grant, DeWees said.
The UASI program is part of the Homeland Security Grant program overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency . According to the FEMA website, the grant program is “to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in designated high-threat, high-density areas.”
DeWees said the equipment will replace older goggles that have become outdated, and will provide additional resources for deputies who must conduct search and rescue operations at night. The goggles can be mounted on a helmet or can be used as a hand-held device.
The goggles amplify light to produce brighter images of an officer’s surroundings during nighttime surveillance, search and rescue, and covert operations.
DeWees said he has observed an increased need for the county’s deputies to use the goggles.
“It seems that every time I come in, in the morning, I look at a briefing report and we had something at night where we’re trying to track an individual, and the [night vision goggles] are just vital to what we’re doing,” he said.
The goggles will be purchased from Municipal Emergency Services Inc. / Lawmen Supply Company. The company provides safety gear, lighting, clothing and tactical equipment to law enforcement agencies and first responders around the country, according to its website.
District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein asked whether the current goggles that are being replaced could still be used for training purposes.
DeWees said the older goggles could likely be used for training. “They can be used in some variation, but not like [the new goggles] can be used. These are exceptional devices,” he said.
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