Bourbon Town Council members acknowledged a grant that Police Chief Bill Martin applied for back in October when they met Wednesday night.
Clerk-Treasurer Kim Berger noted that the department received around $1,000 and it will be utilized to send an officer to get some training as well as test kits for patrolmen to carry in their vehicles.
Chief Martin shared that the grant is through Marshall County’s Local Coordinating Council for the Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana. He noted that the kits they’ll be receiving will be drug test kits that will allow officers to test substances at the scene of an incident and get results in a timely manner.
He added that this year, the committee was really focused on education which is why he included the training as a part of the grant application.
Officer Matt Geiger will be attending the training and it will take place during the annual Indiana Drug Enforcement Agency conference. Chief Martin explained that during the conference, officials will discuss emerging trends in law enforcement and issues that are being observed around the state.
For example, in a previous conference, officials issued a warning about people mixing fentanyl with heroin and then cautioned first responders to avoid coming into contact with the substance without proper protection since it can be absorbed through the skin.
Martin said Bourbon’s grant application was approved by the local grant committee and the next step is for the application to go down to Indianapolis to receive final consideration and approval.
Chief Martin expects the funds to come into the department next year in January or February.
