Golden delivers $963,000 for new Belfast Emergency Operations Center
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that he has secured $963,000 in for the Belfast Police Department to upgrade equipment and outfit a new Emergency Operations Center.
The funding is part of the partial 2024 government funding package signed into law Saturday.
“One of the best ways of addressing staff shortages in rural emergency services is ensuring everyone has the resources required to do their jobs,” saidGolden. “This funding will help Belfast’s police department meet those needs, and equip an Emergency Operations Center that’s truly capable of responding to crises across the region.”
“The City of Belfast is thrilled to learn that it has been selected for this funding award,” said Erin Herbig, Belfast City Manager. “The City of Belfast Police Department provides essential and valuable servicesto the community of Belfast, and it is a high priority for the city that they have the tools andequipment necessary for them to ensure a high level of operational capacity and effectiveness. These awarded funds will make that possible.”
Law enforcement officers are increasingly likely to respond to calls that involve mental illness and substance abuse crises. Additionally, officers are investigating and seizing many new dangerous drugs and chemicals that must be tested, analyzed, and stored for evidence. The lack of proper equipment and specialized storage for these drugs and chemicals puts officers at significant risk.
This funding will provide the City of Belfast Police Department with modern equipment such as training simulators, specialized evidence testing and analyzing equipment, safe evidence storage, a Live Scan fingerprint scanning terminal, and other equipment to be utilized in a new Emergency Operations Center.
The request on behalf of the City of Belfast was one of 15 awards from Golden’s Community Project Funding (CPF) requests approved as part of the appropriations package. His $26 million in successful CPF requests was the most of any Democrat in Congress.
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