Press release from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and ComEd:
ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus have come together to award Powering Safe Communities grants to 25 Illinois municipalities – each receiving up to $10,000 to fund local public safety projects. Six were in the south suburbs.
In the program’s third year, ComEd has increased both funding and the number of projects supported through their Powering Safe Communities Program.
These grants will provide additional resources to help each winning municipality improve the efficiency and delivery of public safety programs, increase community resiliency, and address unmet safety needs. The Metropolitan Planning Council reviewed all of the applications, and grants of up to $10,000 were offered to support the most innovative, impactful, and essential public safety projects. Click here for the full press release. Additional information on the Powering Safe Communities Program can be found here.
The 6 Powering Safe Communities grant recipients in the south suburbs for 2017 are:
Orland Park Police Department – The Orland Park Police Department’s grant will help fund the Village’s Residential Burglary Reduction Program through the acquisition and placement of ten surveillance cameras. The cameras will aid in the identification and apprehension of felonious offenders by allowing investigators to view encrypted video from reported burglaries in real time.
Village of Richton Park Police Department – The Village of Richton Park Police Department’s grant will fund the purchase of Crime Fighter BEAST, a current day, user-friendly and widely accepted property/evidence inventory system. Crime Fighter BEAST will replace an outdated records system that makes the process of evidence collection and documentation complicated and time-consuming.
Village of South Chicago Heights – The Village of South Chicago Heights’ grant will support the purchase of a 12 Lead Cardiac Monitor, a life-saving cardiac monitor/defibrillator, for their Fire Department. The vital tool will be used in the Department’s Advanced Life Support ambulance to perform lifesaving procedures on patients in critical condition and send vital patient information to the transporting hospitals.
Village of Steger Police Department – The Village of Steger Police Department’s grant will support the purchase of a handheld thermal imaging camera. The Village is surrounded by Forest Preserve and heavily wooded land, making searching for victims and/or offenders difficult at night. The camera will enhance officers’ ability to serve and protect the community, as well as help officer safety-related issues.
Village of Summit – The Village of Summit’s grant will fund the purchase of lifesaving smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for seniors in the community. In addition to providing the aging population of Summit with the detectors, the Fire Department plans to train seniors on how to use them, thereby reducing accidental deaths and injuries.
Thornton Fire Department – The Thornton Fire Department’s grant will support the purchase of a Stryker Power Cot for one of their ambulances. The power cot uses a battery-powered hydraulic system that raises and lowers patients without paramedic assistance. The device virtually eliminates patient drops, greatly enhancing the safety of both patients and paramedics.
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