Thanks to a $69,998 grant, the Thornton Police Department will purchase new forensic video-analysis equipment and tactical helmets for patrol officers.

The funding is part a Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant (JAG) in the amount of $113,734 for Adams County. The rest of the grant, $43,736, was allocated to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

The JAG program provides the Thornton Police Department with critical funding necessary to support a range of programs, including law enforcement, crime prevention and education, technology improvement and equipment needs, said Deputy Chief Tom Manka.

The department will spend $33,098 of the grant on forensic video-analysis equipment, which will enable investigators to more efficiently identify evidence and criminals.

“The new equipment far surpasses the traditional forensic video-analysis equipment and takes the processing of all forms of multimedia evidence including video, still images and audio to new levels of clarity, detail, and accessibility,” Manka said. “Regardless of where the images originate, be it proprietary CCTV-DVR digital video, analog video, or images that are scanned, now new evidence can be discovered and used to identify criminals.”

The rest of the grant for Thornton, $36,900, will go toward purchasing tactical helmets to protect officers from head injuries. Right now, officers do not have protective headgear.

“The tactical helmets are filling a need to improve police officer safety when dealing with critical incidents involving high risk encounters,” said Deputy Chief Ken Reather.

The Sheriff’s Office will divide its $43,736 funding among a bullet-recovery system for $21,500, a video-surveillance system at its Strasburg Substation for $14,850, and smoke/fire hoods for the Adams County Detention Facility for $7,386.

The bullet-recovery system will allow the Sheriff’s Office to speed up the testing of ballistic evidence and provide a stronger case for court. The video-surveillance system for Strasburg is for the safety of the deputies, who will be able to observe those entering the facility. The fire hoods at the detention center will allow security staff to enter a smoke-filled room to rescue victims of fire or smoke, or to evacuate an area without being affected.

For many years, the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs provided funding to law enforcement agencies through the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant. In 2005, this was changed to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG).