Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler recently announced she helped secure $413,000 in federal funds to improve Battle Ground’s safety and emergency response capabilities.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, advocated for the funding’s inclusion in the fiscal year 2023 Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Appropriations bill. The bill now awaits approval from the full U.S. House of Representatives.
The funding for Battle Ground will be used to improve the city’s safety and emergency response capabilities, which are currently constrained by out-of-date police technology, an inadequate number of outdoor cameras, and limited video storage capacity, the announcement stated.
Regional first responders are unable to communicate with each other or the 911 center inside school locations in Battle Ground Public Schools. Installing radio repeaters inside schools ensures reliable communication capabilities in an emergency, stated the release.
The police department also relies on video surveillance to expand the department’s reach and capacity with constrained resources, the announcement stated. That surveillance is critical to the department’s ability to intervene in crimes and investigate.
The funding will help bolster overall community safety with technology improvements intended to protect students and residents, as well as public and private property, according to the announcement.
The funding is part of $7.4 million in specific funding priorities Herrera Beutler helped secure to support Southwest Washington law enforcement operations, the announcement from her office stated. They included improvements to law enforcement radio communication systems, access to police body-worn cameras, and de-escalation training.
“We appreciate the support of law enforcement at the federal level so we can better serve our community at the local level. These federal funds will aid us in enhancing our Emergency Operations Center and increasing radio communication capabilities inside our local schools,” Battle Ground Police Chief Mike Fort said.
