JOHNSTOWN — Fulton County District Attorney Chad Brown and Sheriff Richard Giardino on Monday presented over $250,000 in proposed 2020 capital projects aimed at fighting crime in the county next year.
In separate presentations to the Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee, Brown and Giardino presented proposals that were approved for recommendation to the board’s Capital Projects Committee.
Brown’s proposed 2020 capital plan involved one main project — a $100,000 New Neighborhood Project involving surveillance and intelligence gathering tools.
One of the components of the project is acquiring driver’s license plate readers, which are electronic devices police use to determine if licenses are current, suspended or revoked. The readers can be used as mobile devices on police vehicles, as well as detached for portable hookups. Brown said the readers can sometimes be taken off damaged police vehicles and installed on working patrol cars.
Another aspect of the capital project will be cell phone analysis software that is used to do forensic investigations on cell phones utilized during the commission of crimes.
Brown said the software can be used to track detailed phone records. He said a murder case his office recently prosecuted had “key components” involving the software.
The district attorney said the phone software is expected to be “very beneficial” in the future prosecution of suspects in Fulton County.
Giardino offered $151,000 worth of proposed 2020 capital projects to the committee — all sheriff’s office vehicles.
The sheriff proposed: one full-size marked Dodge Charger — $51,000; one full-sized PPV Chevy Tahoe — $61,000; and one full-sized unmarked Charger for investigations — $39,000.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected]
