Sheriff outlines grants, drones and equipment requests; board hears updates on SRO funding and Flock safety support

Sheriff Troy updated the Board of Supervisors on grants and equipment that the sheriff's office has applied for or received and described capital and operational requests for the coming year.

The sheriff said the department received more than $700,000 in grants last year, including a federal grant to install safety equipment in schools and an evidence‑supplies grant that has been increased this year. He said the department has SRO grant awards that will continue for specified periods but that gubernatorial funding cuts mean no salary inflation is included in some SRO grants, and some future SRO positions will need local funding once grant terms expire.

The nut graf: the sheriff's office is pursuing several grants to supplement the local budget — including a federal COPS grant for a mobile incident command center — and has budgeted for recurring contracts such as Flock safety license‑plate‑reading maintenance; some proposed capital purchases (drones, MDT replacements, vehicles) remain contingent on grant awards.

Details: the sheriff reported verbal confirmation for two school‑based SRO grants that together would provide about $78,547 in revenue and noted one continuing supply grant now totals $3,200. The office is applying for a $500,000 mobile incident command center under a COPS grant and expects a state police contribution of $12,500 to sustain a Flock safety camera subscription if a related grant opens for application in July. The sheriff said he had applied for a grant to cover two drones and MDT replacement; those awards are competitive, with expected answers in late April or early May.

On operations and capital, the sheriff said the department is budgeting for software subscriptions, maintenance and vehicle replacements. The board heard a request for five new Tahoes to upfit as patrol vehicles (estimated per‑vehicle upfit costs were discussed) and a possible used vehicle purchase. The sheriff and staff discussed fleet replacement cycles and the advisability of staggering vehicle orders to avoid a single year with many retirements.

Ending: The board asked staff to work with the sheriff's office on grant timing and to present more detail on which capital items can be covered by pending or likely grants.