The Paducah Police Department is looking to start the new year with new equipment.
The department is accepting bids for a mobile surveillance system. Assistant Chief of Support Services David White says the city received a FEMA Port Security Grant of about $37,000, including a $12,000 city match to purchase the system. White says the system has a camera that extends above crowds and would be useful for festivals and concerts.
“Police Officers can’t be everywhere at once. So the pan-tilt-zoom camera can move back and forth to see the crowd. You know, if you have a lost child that you’re looking for or if there is some sort of incident, someone from a mobile command post could look and maybe direct police that are on the ground to where they needed to go within the crowd,” White said.
Bids on the mobile surveillance system are due December 2nd. Paducah Police are also looking to replace 10 old service vehicles with SUVs. Assistant Chief of Operations Brian Krueger says SUVs would be beneficial for operations during heavy winter storms and other inclement weather. Bids for the vehicles were due Tuesday, November 24. Krueger expects it will take a few months to get the SUVs after a bid is accepted.
