HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) recently awarded three grants totaling more than $345,000 to help police track and report crime in Farrell City, Sharon City and Sharpsville Borough, Mercer County, according to Sen. Michele Brooks (R-50).
“These grants will help police follow crime trends, coordinate across jurisdictions and spend less time doing paperwork and more time on the streets protecting our neighborhoods,” Brooks said. “Crime reporting systems can be expensive and many smaller police departments would not be able to afford them without funding like this.”
Farrell City was awarded a grant for more than $135,000. Sharon City will benefit from a grant of more than $150,000 and Sharpsville Borough was awarded a grant for more than $60,000.
The grants will be used to improve the police departments’ reporting capabilities and ability to interact with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The FBI administers NIBRS, which collects and reports crime data from law enforcement agencies across the country.
The Farrell City system will enable police officers to more accurately record crime incidence data, conduct crime mapping, and share or retrieve information from other nationwide databases. Due to its close proximity to Ohio, access to a nationwide database is essential for local police who handle a variety of crimes.
Sharpsville Borough’s new system will help police officers spend less time on their computers writing and filing reports and more time patrolling the community.
Funding for the grants is being provided through the PCCD Local Law Enforcement Support Grant Program. In addition to NIBRS updates, grants can be used to purchase vehicle cameras or body cameras for officers; pay for crisis intervention, use of force, implicit bias or de-escalation training; or fund programs to enhance officer wellness, support increased diversity, or enhance officer recruitment and retention.
CONTACT: Adam Gingrich, 717-787-1322