Catasauqua Police Department has received a grant totaling more than $800,000 to help with technology upgrades.

Chris Fine, owner of DRC Technologies; Steve Travers, former Catasauqua borough manager; and Vanessa Nedrick, from Remington and Vernick Engineers, teamed up in late 2021 to apply for a grant to help improve the equipment for local police departments, including the Catasauqua Police Department, according to Rachel Fine, also of DRC Technologies.

The grant request, submitted to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, was to help fund a major technology upgrade for police departments.

The PCCD was established in 1978 as the justice planning and policymaking agency for Pennsylvania. Among a myriad of goals and activities, one of its primary functions is to assist grant funding of federal and state funds to support best practices and innovation. Visit pccd.pa.gov for more information.

For the Catasauqua Police Department, Chris Fine was responsible for analyzing the department’s needs and putting together all estimates needed for new equipment. Remington and Vernick assisted in coordinating the grant write-up.

In the last few weeks of 2022, PCCD announced the Catasauqua Police Department received the full amount of a grant for more than $800,000.

New equipment purchases for the police department will include a new server, network and video surveillance equipment and other technology-related necessities.

At a recent event, police Chief Douglas Kish expressed delight at the PCCD awarding the funds to his department. He noted this award is timely, as much of his information technology equipment was either due or overdue for an upgrade.