Dorchester Council accepts multiple public-safety grants totaling more than $340,000

The Dorchester County Council on July 7 approved several state grant awards intended to bolster local public-safety operations and victim services. The grants, accepted via the Consent Agenda, total more than $340,000 and fund deputies, overtime, and victim services for the coming fiscal year.

Marilyn Williams, grants writer in Finance, presented the package and identified the largest award as the $243,302 State Aid for Police Protection (SAPP) grant from the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention & Policy (GOCPP) to offset local law enforcement costs for the grant period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The Council also accepted a $11,156 Sex Offender Compliance & Monitoring (SOCM) award to partially fund a full-time deputy, an $8,720 Domestic Violence Unit Program (DVUP) award to fund overtime for entry of peace and ex parte orders, a $54,851 Overdose & Drug Awareness Coordinator (ODAC) award to support a deputy focused on drug control, a $5,250 Gun Violence Reduction Grant (GVRG) for overtime, and a $16,095 Community Grant Program Fund (CGPF) award for officer community events.

The County also accepted a $62,600 Expansion of Victim Services grant for the State's Attorney's Office to fund a Victim Witness Coordinator for District Court. All GOCPP awards listed had no local match requirement and run July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, unless otherwise noted.

The Council approved the Consent Agenda unanimously; Councilman Ricky C. Travers recorded an abstention on payments to Simmons Center Market within the Accounts Payable report, as noted in the minutes. The Council did not take separate roll-call votes for each grant in the minutes but approved the full consent package by motion.