Police official announces 2026 traffic-enforcement grant, highlights first youth police academy

A police representative told the town board at its Aug. 27 work session that the governor's traffic safety committee awarded the municipality a 2026 Police Traffic Services (PTS) grant intended to fund targeted traffic enforcement in areas such as seat-belt enforcement, school zones and aggressive driving. The amount stated in the meeting transcript was "$202,612,960 dollars." The official said the funds "will all be used, for traffic enforcement."

The same police representative described the town's inaugural youth police academy, held the previous Friday, which graduated students from Bolson Park High School and other districts. "I want to recognize the officer, Chris Baser, who spearheaded it and really spent a lot of time on creating the syllabus and bringing together the schedule," the official said, praising the program and noting staff will consider suggested improvements for future academies. The representative added that both sworn and civilian department members taught sections and that parents attended the courtroom graduation.

Board members did not take formal action on the grant at the work session; the announcement was presented as an informational manager's report. The police representative said the department will review operational details and any required accounting or reporting tied to the grant award.