Grant helps police department
buy high tech gear
Garden City, along with the Village of Southampton, is one of only two police departments on Long Island to receive New York State grant money to purchase electronic fingerprinting equipment.
A live-scan fingerprinting scanner costs approximately $16,700. The New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services Division will reimburse the department half the cost, up to $8,345. The department is now able to completely fund the project through asset forfeiture funds and the grant.
“Currently, we respond with our prisoners to a Nassau County Police location for fingerprinting and ID purposes. This puts a burden on officer safety and adds significant time to routine arrest processing,” Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson said. “A live-scan printer will also assist the department in identifying dangerous subjects and wanted persons. In the current atmosphere of law enforcement, I feel that this is a win-win for the village.”
Jackson commended Inspector Michael Doyle and Sergeant William Grimes for preparing a “comprehensive and detailed grant request.”
New York State law enforcement agencies and the courts can instantly receive an arrestee’s positive identification and any past criminal history and warrant information through the use of digital fingerprint technology. This information has proven crucial in determining how an arrestee’s case proceeds, including whether bail is set by the court.
“Fingerprinting is a proven and highly effective crime-fighting method—which drives us to help law enforcement agencies record and share fingerprints as efficiently as possible,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “These grants will help departments across the state, regardless of size, maintain a vital form of equipment, and I am proud that the state is able to help our local partners in this way.”
