By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Two U.S. Department of Justice grants have been awarded to the Ellis County Sheriff's Dept. and the Hays Police Dept.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, a former Hays resident, was in Hays Friday afternoon to make the announcement in the Ellis County Emergency Services building where public officials and local law enforcement were gathered.
"We have great regard for those who serve others - clearly our law enforcement - particularly in these times which are challenging across the country," Moran said. "We want to be helpful in every way that we can."
Moran serves on the subcommittee that funds the Dept. of Justice and all of its law enforcement operations. The subcommittee also operates a grant program for local law enforcement.
"We ought to be looking for ways that funds law enforcement more, not less, and particularly when there's the suggestion that we should defund the police."
"Our bipartisan conclusion was let's see if we can find resources that help police departments do their job better - for training, for equipment."
Moran then announced $190,000 is on its way to the sheriff's department for body scanners of incoming inmates. Another $90,000 federal grant will be used by the police department for officer body cameras.
"Body cameras are a priority for the Hays Police Department," said Don Scheibler, police chief. "We've been recording our conversations with the public since 1995 on [voice] recorders.
"This advance in technology will let us be more transparent with our community, be more professional, and make our community safer."
The jail is the greatest liability for local law enforcement, according to Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun.
"With this body scanner, we're going to be able to run our people [inmates] through there to make sure they're not trying to smuggle things through in their [body] cavities, etc.
"It provides a safer environment not only for my staff but also the inmates," Braun said.
"And as we know, with fentanyl nowadays, it just doesn't take much if someone smuggles it into our facility, and could result in death or serious results.
"This piece of equipment will allow us to better protect everyone within Ellis County as well as within our jail."
Both officers thanked Moran for his support of law enforcement.
City of Hays and Ellis County officials, along with local law enforcement officers were on hand for Friday's brief announcement.
