The Gary Police Department received $264,000 in Community Project Funding secured by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, to purchase more license plate reader technology.
Mrvan joined Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon and Gary Chief of Staff Ellis Dumas Monday at the Gary Police Department Real Time Crime Center to announce the funding for the department.
“It gives the technology to the police department that is a field or a police magnifier,” Mrvan said. “The license plate readers are the technology that allow our police departments to have eyes and ears where the policemen and women can’t be.”
Currently, the police department has about 170 license plate readers, which include fixed cameras throughout the city and mobile devices, like those in an officer’s squad car, Cannon said.
The cameras help with tracking crime throughout the city and help prosecutors build cases against someone charged with a crime, Cannon said. The overall goal of having the cameras is to help reduce crime in the city.
The $264,000 will go toward purchasing more license plate readers, Cannon said, but the department is still working to figure out how many more readers to purchase.
“We are honored. We’re excited to be able to expand the footprint that we’ve already laid down here, to be able to give us the ability to be able to meet the needs of not only the citizens of Gary but also the needs of our region,” Cannon said. “This is an opportunity for us to be able to have an eye on the city and to be able to track and predict, and it also gives us an opportunity to give real-time information to the officers on the street.”
About two years ago, Mrvan recalled a shooting that occurred in Gary near Interstate 80/94, and the department was able to use the license plate reader technology to locate the shooter within a couple of hours of the reported shooting.
Earlier this year, Mrvan said he went on a ride along with a Gary police officer and saw the license plate reader technology in use on the front lines.
“As we move forward, this investment is just not about technology. It’s about building trust and ensuring the safety of every resident in the city of Gary. With these advancements, we are not only equipping officers with the best tools available but we’re also fostering our city and making it a priority to make sure that our families, our neighbors and our friends are protected and they’re heard,” Mrvan said.
Dumas said the technology will support police officers as they serve the city and residents, and it will ensure an increase in public safety around the city.
“Here at the city of Gary, we have made public safety a top priority. We know that safety is truly about the community’s well-being. Our residents deserve safe neighborhoods where they can grow, raise families, and build their dreams without fear,” Dumas said.
akukulka@post-trib.com
