Crime & Safety

Board of Finance Hears Arguments for Police Boat Allocation

Town received $375,000 grant to purchase a new marine patrol vessel in September 2012.

The Board of Finance heard a clear message from representatives of the Groton Town Police Department Wednesday on the Stonington Police Department's plan to purchase a new police boat with Homeland Security grant funds.

"This has been a great, great asset to the community," Groton Town Police Chief Michael J. Crowley said. "I remember growing up my father used to say, 'If it's too good to be true, it's not.' Well, I would tell you that this grant might seem too good to be true, but it is true. And it doesn't cost anything."

The Stonington Police Department found out last September that it was awarded a $375,000 Homeland Security port-security grant to purchase a new boat. The audience before the finance board was required to allocate the funds to purchase the boat, the cost of which would then be reimbursed when the grant money comes through.

Groton Town Police Capt. Steven Sinagra, who captains Groton Town's Marine Patrol boat, which was also purchased with Homeland Security grant money, said his department's boat is part of a larger law-enforcement marine-security group that includes shoreline towns from East Lyme to Stonington and up the Thames River to Norwich as well as the Navy, the Coast Guard and companies such as Electric Boat and Pfizer.

The boat, which would replace Stonington's aging police vessel that is requiring more maintenance as the years go by, would be required to respond to regional security incidents and marine-security efforts. Police departments in Norwich, Groton and Waterford as well as the Mystic Fire Department have all received boats through the Homeland Security grant program.

Board members raised questions about whether the town would be reimbursed if the boat was called into regional security efforts and if money would be available for maintenance. Sinagra assured them the money is out there. 

"The shift from FEMA has been from buying equipment to sustaining," Sinagra said. "Those grants are available, and the marine group will keep applying for those to maintain the boats in the group."  

Stonington Board of Police Commissioners Chairman Scott Bates pointed to the bolstering of the town's disaster-response capabilities.

"We got hammered three times in the last two years. We need increased capacity to respond," Bates said. "The first few years of Homeland Security was about guards, gates and guns. We were just trying to cover things everywhere.

"Now it's about empowering first-responders in their local communities. That's what this grant is about."

The board set a special meeting for April 16 at 7 p.m. to further discuss the boat purchase.


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