Sheriff announces $5 million grant for Real Time Crime Center; county approves Stormont Vail Wi‑Fi upgrade and chairs RFP

Sheriff Brian Hill reviewed 2025 accomplishments for the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and introduced District Attorney Mike Kegay, who told commissioners the county secured a competitive nationwide grant totaling $5,000,000 to support the Real Time Crime Center and related public‑safety enhancements.

Kegay said the grant was earned through a strategic partnership and grant‑writing effort and will support the Real Time Crime Center, 9‑1‑1 enhancements and a drone program intended to speed incident assessment. He said grant administration and strategic planning work remain; staff estimate roughly eight to ten months before hardware is deployed and the program produces observable operational changes. Sheriff Hill described planned uses such as drone hubs used as “first responders” to provide rapid on‑scene situational awareness and other technology investments that aim to reduce response times.

Separately, commissioners approved a $17,100.05 capital expenditure for Stormont Vail Event Center to upgrade Exhibition Hall Wi‑Fi (moving campus capacity from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps) to support streaming and large events; audit and finance supported a sole‑source procurement. Stormont Vail staff also received authorization to issue an RFP for replacement portable chairs in Landon Arena and Exhibition Hall with capital outlay funding not to exceed $350,000, after staff described cost‑savings from consolidating chair inventories and reducing the original estimate.

Commissioners applauded the grant news and approved the Stormont Vail requests unanimously.