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Holyoke accepts municipal road safety, Byrne and 911 dispatch grants to boost enforcement and training
Summary
The Finance Committee accepted three public-safety grants: a $45,000 municipal road safety award for crosswalk enforcement and speeding enforcement, an $18,344 Byrne grant for laptops and less‑lethal training equipment and protective shields, and a $24,500 state EMD/911 grant contracting medical dispatch support.
The Holyoke City Finance Committee on Nov. 24 accepted a package of public‑safety grants aimed at pedestrian safety, officer training and emergency medical dispatch capacity.
The committee accepted a FY2026 municipal road safety grant (approximately $45,000) that will fund traffic‑enforcement details and a crosswalk‑focused component. City staff said the grant supplements enforcement where there is no dedicated traffic unit and will pay officers for details, with dedicated logging of stops, citations and warnings. Staff described a two‑officer tactic for crosswalk enforcement: one officer stationed nearby, another positioned in crosswalks who radios to the cruiser to identify vehicles that fail to stop.
The committee also accepted an Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant for $18,344. Staff said the Byrne funds will buy five laptops for field access, less‑lethal training simulators and secure transport cases for the regional training range, and protective ballistic shields to be kept in vehicles to allow rapid response to active‑threat incidents. During discussion, Councillor Israel Rivera asked about policy and training governing shield use; staff said shields are included in annual in‑service training and emphasized current doctrine that officers should meet the threat in active‑shooter situations.
Finally, the committee accepted a FY2026 state Emergency Medical Dispatch (911) grant of $24,500 to cover contracting costs for Cataldo Ambulance to provide pre‑arrival medical instruction when callers need medical guidance. Staff said local dispatchers do not uniformly hold the qualifications or staffing levels necessary for the state program, so Cataldo will provide covered service for FY2026 under contract.
All three grant acceptances were approved by committee vote with Councillors Sullivan, Devine, Givner and Ocasio recorded as voting yes.
