Ithaca council accepts $75,000 Homeland Security grant for police tactical gear over public objections

The Ithaca Common Council on April 8 voted 7–4 to accept a $75,000 grant from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to fund tactical equipment for the Ithaca Police Department.

The vote followed more than two hours of public comment and a detailed question-and-answer session with police leadership. Dozens of speakers during public comment urged the council to reject the grant, saying such equipment would further militarize the department and raise civil‑liberties and safety concerns. "Are you trying to be Republicans now?" resident Cassie Markland said, challenging the council's willingness to accept the funding. Anne Johnson, citing a February incident she said involved a disabled resident called Tam, asked why body‑camera footage was not available and called for more transparency.

Police Chief (speaker 15) described the grant as targeted funding for high‑risk responses and said some items — for example heavier vests and helmets — are only used in situations where officers believe suspects are armed with high‑powered rifles. He said some tools, such as pole cameras and interior drones, are used to clear or assess a scene before officers make entry to reduce risk. "The drones are interior drones," the chief said in response to council questions, adding they can help determine whether someone is armed or requires medical attention.

Council members pressed for specifics about when equipment would be deployed, whether ballistic shields or riot shields would be used at protests, and who would authorize team activations. The SRT captain (speaker 20) said the tactical team is not activated without chief authorization, that a hierarchical authorization structure is being finalized, and that FAA licensing and protocols are under development.

Councilmember (speaker 2) cited the recent public conversation and training exercises and said the grant would help protect officers. Opponents, including community members and several council members, said the acceptance sends the wrong message and risks escalating encounters. The mayor read the final tally and identified the four dissenting votes as Trumbull, Schweetz, Bifundini and Matos.

The chief also addressed use metrics and oversight: he said roughly nine deployments occurred in the last year and that the department's annual report shows use‑of‑force incidents in the range of 80–90 times per year across about 24,000 calls for service. He told the council that many of the items are replacements with limited shelf life (roughly five years) and that the department has received similar grants totaling over $1,000,000 since about 2013.

The resolution accepts funding already awarded to the city; chief and staff said grant reporting will document equipment purchases and training hours. Council members asked staff to provide more detailed metrics on equipment use and grant‑reporting backfill in future updates.

The grant acceptance is now part of the public record; council members indicated interest in continued oversight, including metrics on deployments and documentation for grant reporting.