Georgia awards grants to provide more officers and equipment for our area

Here is the breakdown on who gets what

ATLANTA, Georgia (WDEF) – Our area is scoring some of the funding announced by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Thursday.

The grants are going to communities for public safety and law enforcement staffing from the pandemic.

Governor Kemp says “With the increase in violent crime seen in communities across the country, including here in our state, we’re sending reinforcements to keep hardworking Georgians and their neighborhoods safe. From tackling staffing needs to deploying new equipment and technology, these funds are being invested so that our brave first responders have the resources they need to fight back against dangerous criminals.”

Here is what that means for communities in northwest Georgia:

— Catoosa County gets $57,000 to hire an additional patrol officer at the Sheriff’s Office.

— Walker Count gets $558,000 for new equipment, including FLOCK cameras, a body and thermal scanning system, a new radio system plus money for their in-house intelligence systems.

— Whitfield County gest over a million dollars for staffing projects

— City of Eton gets $57,000 to hire an additional patrol officer.

— Highland Rivers Behavioral Health gets almost a million dollars to create a co-response crisis team to better divert adults, children, and youth experiencing mental health crises.