Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announced the funding of several grants for local police departments, among those being Troy and Brundidge.

While the cities’ departments were notified of those receipts before last week, both said the additional funding will provide assistance in enhancing equipment for law enforcement officers.

“We’re glad to be getting this equipment and will be putting it to use pretty soon,” said Troy Police spokesman Sgt. Benny Scarbrough.

For Troy police, the U.S. Department of Justice grant administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs came in the amount of $32,727, and the Brundidge Police Department was awarded $25,000.

Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport said the department used its funding to purchase five new video cameras for its patrol cars.

“We have cameras in two vehicles now and plan to have them in seven vehicles with the grant money,” Davenport said.

Davenport said while there aren’t cameras in all of the squad cars, this grant will take the department one step closer to that goal.

“It’s beneficial for court purposes, and it’s also a feature that can be used for documentation. A picture is worth 1,000 words,” Davenport said. “It is a plus for our officers, and hopefully we’ll be able to obtain more cameras that will work along with it.”

The Troy Police Department used its grant money also for equipment purchases, including seven tasers and accessories, two in car radars, five in car camera video systems, nine pairs of binoculars, four desktop computers and storage units and memory cards.

“Most of the equipment we’re getting is technology based, and that’s an area we see we’re constantly growing at the police department,” Scarbrough said.

“In the past seven years, the need for technology has become greater in law enforcement, and we feel we are going to need to continue to do this over the next several years to keep up with trends.”

Scarbrough said the equipment is not just beneficial for staying abreast of trends but also in enhancing officer safety.

“We are proud of the equipment itself,” he said.

The grants given local were two of 104 law enforcement agencies across Alabama from a grant pool totaling $2.4 million.

The purpose of the grants were for equipment upgrades and required no local match money.

“The officers we depend on for protection must have adequate equipment to perform their jobs,” Riley said. “These grants will give law enforcement agencies in Alabama access to up-to-date equipment and techniques to fight crime and protect citizens.”