COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- The New York State University Police Department at SUNY Cobleskill secured a $159,000 grant to enhance the department's capabilities and improve safety measures. According to the college, the funds will be used to purchase three new patrol cars.
The funds were administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) through the U.S. Department of Justice. Byrne, who the grant is named after, was a New York City police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1988.
The grant program, according to the college, provides state and local governments with funds necessary to support a range of law enforcement and corrections program areas. Two of the new cars will replace older models.
"The safety of our campus community is our highest priority, and this grant serves that by allowing us to update our fleet with advanced vehicles that make us even better equipped to carry our patrol and response duties," Chief of UPD at SUNY Cobleskill William Henn said. "We are grateful for the support of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and for the collaborative efforts of our team, whose work was instrumental in securing this funding.”
According to SUNY Cobleskill, the University Police Department has been an accredited agency since 2016 with all members being certified police officers. Uniformed officers patrol the campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The grant proposal was authored on behalf of University Police by the campus Director of Business Affairs and Controller, Laura Gross.
"We are proud to support this request from SUNY Cobleskill, which will improve safety for the college’s police officers and allow them to better serve the campus community," DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado said.
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