Springfield, MA
SPRINGFIELD — The City of Springfield has received a $147,456 grant from the Department of Justice to expand communications and technology at the Police Department, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and U.S Rep. Richard E. Neal announced Thursday.
The funding was awarded through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program — the primary provider of federal criminal justice assistance to state and local governments — and will be used for improving officer safety and efficiency.
Sarno praised Neal, a former Springfield mayor himself, for his ongoing efforts to help the City of Homes. “He understands the importance of the role public safety plays to our residents and, like myself, respects the brave and dedicated efforts of our men and women in blue,” Sarno said.
The Police Department will use the money for information technology upgrades and new protective equipment for officers.
“While technology can never replace the work of the men and women of the department collaborating with the community to resolve issues, technology can assist us greatly in determining trouble spots, trends, patterns and increase our ability to communicate more easily, enabling our officers to be in the places that they are most needed at those times,” police Commissioner John Barbieri said.
Neal credited Sarno and Barbieri for seeking and securing the highly competitive grant, which is “timely and needed,” he said.
“I have always said the men and women of the Springfield Police Department deserve the appropriate amount of local, state and federal resources they need to do their jobs effectively,” the congressman said. “Each day they put their lives at risk to protect families and keep our community safe. With these additional funds, they will be able to continue to do their vital and courageous work on the streets of Springfield.”
The grant is named for Eddie Byrne, a New York City police officer who was fatally shot in 1988 while guarding the home of a Guyanese immigrant targeted by drug dealers in South Jamaica, Queens.
Byrne, who was assigned to the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, was in his cruiser when someone knocked on his window and opened fire on the 22-year-old rookie cop from Long Island, shooting him five times in the head. His killing was ordered by drug lord Howard “Pappy” Mason, who’s serving a life sentence for the crime.
