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Sheriff secures appropriations from DNR grant and seeks $250,000 DOJ de‑escalation grant
Summary
The council approved appropriations tied to a DNR grant for boat-patrol expenses and granted the sheriff permission to apply for a $250,000 DOJ Safer Outcomes de‑escalation and crisis‑response grant to purchase virtual reality training equipment.
The Kosciusko County Council approved allocations to spend funds already received from a Department of Natural Resources grant and granted the sheriff permission to apply for a $250,000 federal Department of Justice (DOJ) grant to upgrade training to a virtual reality system.
Chief Deputy/representative for the Sheriff told the council the DNR grant funds — earmarked for boat-patrol miscellaneous expenses and salaries — include three line items of $2,500, $5,000 and $7,500. The council approved an additional appropriation to appropriate those funds.
The sheriff’s office also sought permission to apply for a DOJ non‑matching grant titled "Safer Outcomes De‑escalation and Crisis Response for Law Enforcement," with a requested award amount of $250,000. The sheriff’s representative said the grant, if awarded, would fund purchase of a standalone virtual‑reality training unit intended for patrol, jail, reserves and boat patrol personnel and potentially for broader county use.
Questions from council members clarified that the DOJ grant appears to be reimbursement-based (the county would make purchases and then seek reimbursement if awarded) and that the unit would be a standalone purchase rather than a cloud subscription. The sheriff’s office said future software upgrades could require funding from the department’s training budget but that the initial unit would be purchased outright if the grant is awarded.
A motion to approve applying for the DOJ grant carried. The council previously approved the DNR appropriations in a separate motion.
Why it matters: The proposed VR training aims to expand scenario‑based de‑escalation and crisis‑response training beyond the traditional FATS (Firearm Training Simulator) rental model and to make a training asset available on site for multiple county law‑enforcement users.
What’s next: If the DOJ award is made, county staff will return with contract and purchase details and follow grant reimbursement procedures.
