Bristol police win $61,000 Homeland Security recommendation; department to refine foot-patrol reporting

Bristol Police Chief Bruce Nason told the Selectboard on May 11 that the department's federal Homeland Security Grant application has received a positive recommendation and, pending final federal approval, is expected to provide approximately $61,000 to replace the radios in patrol vehicles and the base station radio. Nason described the current vehicle radios as "severely outdated" and said the funding is needed "to correct some of the issues with the old technology."

Nason also reported on an April meeting with the Bristol Elder Eagles and said the department will recategorize foot-patrol statistics so reports better reflect actual activity. "In the previous year, the Department logged approximately 1,000 foot patrols overall, but those rolled up into a single category obscured the nature of the work being done," Nason said, noting "roughly 600 of those patrols were at Bristol Elementary School" and "approximately 396 were business checks and downtown foot patrols at night."

Town Administrator Gregory Faust said separating those categories will strengthen future grant applications because it provides clearer outcomes and statistics, and he asked Nason to pass along thanks to Sergeant Andrew Graham for repeatedly submitting the grant application. No public opposition to the updates was raised during the forum. The Selectboard took no formal vote on department reporting changes; the grant remains pending federal approval.