OREGON, Ohio — The city of Oregon has received a $963,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to re-establish the police department's K-9 unit and train officers on new equipment and technology.
The two dogs will replace the department's previous K-9 that died last year and be trained to detect and track illegal narcotics. Grant money will also be used to buy a new vehicle and equipment for the unit.
The funds will also be used to purchase advanced technology and provide specialized training for officers.
According to a press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), who helped secure the grant, the department will purchase the following items:
- a sprinter van for the special response team to replace a retired Life Squad vehicle donated by Lucas County Emergency Services
- gold carts to patrol downtown, local festivals and other events
- a 300-degree simulator for officers "to be exposed to real-life, video driven training, showing how officers interact with victims and suspects"
- a portable training facility
- an enhanced training light system that "challenges officers’ reaction time and cognitive thinking skills in firearm and taser training"
- a 3D scanner to reconstruct crash and crime scenes
- non-evasive license plate readers