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Montgomery County announces $2.25 million in public safety grants to hire deputies and expand court-ready video access
Summary
County officials said $2,250,000 in grants will fund 10 new deputy positions, expanded access to Axon body- and dash-camera systems for the district attorney's office, and additional crime-center technology; some specific allocations were not fully specified in remarks.
Montgomery County officials on an announced date said the county has been awarded $2,250,000 in public safety grants that will be used to hire additional deputies and expand technology used by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Cody Clark, public affairs manager for the Montgomery County Commission, opened the briefing and introduced Montgomery County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton, Sheriff Derek Cunningham and Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Davidson. "Anytime that we're getting funding to be able to push back out into our communities, to make our community safer, this is what it's all about," Sheriff Cunningham said, describing plans to place "boots on the ground."
The most immediate operational change officials described is hiring 10 additional deputies. Chairman Doug Singleton said that a "COPS" grant portion — which he referenced as $1,250,000 — will fund the deputy hires; officials did not provide a fully detailed allocation for the remaining grant funds during the remarks. "This will allow us again to put more resources into that," Singleton said, describing additional patrol presence in unincorporated areas and inside the city, including Eastchase.
Michelle Davidson, speaking for District Attorney Azzy Oliver, said the grants have increased the DA office's access to Axon technologies, enabling faster receipt of body-camera and dash-camera videos and case files that prosecutors use in court. "This portion of these funds has enabled us to increase our access to Axon technologies," Davidson said, adding that quicker access to video and case information will help courtroom work.
Officials also described investment in local infrastructure and analytic capacity: the county's crime center is operating and officials said Phase 2 will add more cameras, license-plate readers and two crime analysts to support investigations and interagency information sharing. Sheriff Cunningham and other speakers referred to a local system variously named in the remarks as "NIVEN" or "Novus" that will be hosted by the sheriff's office and made available to partner agencies; the county did not provide additional technical or procurement details during the event.
Chairman Singleton emphasized a mental-health component to the work and named CareStar as a partner, saying collaboration among the Sheriff's Office, Montgomery Police Department, the DA's office and service providers is intended to address visible homelessness and individuals in mental-health crisis. Officials also said a new Eastchase substation will be announced soon.
County leaders praised the grants office and staff for securing the awards, naming Regina Walker and other grants administrators for proactive applications. No formal vote or ordinance was recorded at the event; officials characterized the briefing as an announcement and explanation of planned uses of the grant funds. The county did not provide a complete line-item breakdown of how the full $2,250,000 will be allocated in the public remarks; staff follow-up and formal budget documents were described as the next steps.
