Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program Nets Over $180,000 for Five Maryland Law Enforcement Agencies

The Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program (PSTTAP) recently obtained $181,500 in grant funds for law enforcement technology from the Governor's Office of Crime Control in Prevention (GOCCP).  PSTTAP clients, the City of Laurel, Hyattsville City, and Calvert, Harford, and Talbot counties, will receive the funds from GOCCP's Law Enforcement Technology Grant Program in early 2008.  The five law enforcement agencies who used PSTTAP's assistance received almost 20 percent of the $1M available to the entire State of Maryland through the grant program.

Thomas Carr, PSTTAP executive director, stated, “We are excited that Maryland law enforcement is using the University’s resources to identify and apply for grants that they might not have had to resources to pursue otherwise.  We are working to make public safety dollars go further, as our law enforcement partners are working to deliver services that enhance Marylanders’ public safety.”

As a result of this funding procurement, the Hyattsville Police Department will purchase mobile data terminals to increase officer safety and operational efficiency in the field; the Laurel Police Department will receive an electronic fingerprinting system to reduce booking time and increase officers’ time on the beat, while sharing information more efficiently with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office will purchase a surveillance camera to address property crime in its commuter lots and assist in resource allocation during special events; the Harford County Sheriff’s Office will receive a surveillance camera to identify gang members and to capture gang activity to assist with prosecution efforts; and the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office will purchase computer-aided dispatch software that will focus on collecting and disseminating crime data in a more timely and effective manner, ultimately increasing operational efficiency and officer safety.

--For more information on PSTTAP, visit www.psttap.com or contact Lisa Wiederlight, program manager, at (443) 534-6782 or lwieder@umd.edu.

“The University of Maryland’s Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program (PSTTAP) has been instrumental in assisting the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in advancing its technical capabilities.  Through a grant with the University, PSTTAP has provided us with applied researchers who have aided us in the development of our critical infrastructure and software.  I wholeheartedly recommend their services to any agency in need of improving their information technology.”

--Mary Ann Saar, Former Secretary, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

“The Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program (PSTTAP) has been a tremendous support to our training program.  Over the past three years, PSTTAP was able to craft curriculum, hire instructors, and host a number of forums for our foreign law enforcement executives.  The forums always met or exceeded our expectations.  I wholeheartedly endorse the fine quality of the services they delivered to the programs that I managed.”

--Thomas D. Evans, Antiterrorism Assistance Program, U.S. Department of State