The state of Iowa House Appropriations committee approved funding June 9 that will provide support to law enforcement in five north Iowa counties, including Hancock and Winnebago.
The funding will provide over $2.5 million in support to Iowa law agencies, with $200,000 going to the counties of Pocahontas, Kossuth, Emmet, Winnebago and Hancock in support of new visual imaging technology.
“It’s one of the most sacred responsibilities of government to enforce the law and provide for the security and safety of the general public and the hardworking first responders who are dedicated to that ideal,” said Tom Latham, House Representative for Iowa’s 4th District, and senior member of the House Appropriations committee.
The project will be spearheaded in Pocahontas County, but will eventually aid law enforcement in all five counties.
The visual imaging tool, called Pictometry, utilizes low-flying airplane photography to help law enforcement agencies immediately view multiple angles of a target area, especially when applied for raids in specific neighborhoods.
“It’s a wonderful system that will not only help the Winnebago Sheriff’s Department, but also all other law enforcement agencies in the area,” said Winnebago County Sheriff Doug Jenson.
The planes create a database containing 12 to 30 images of a specific location, providing relevant detail of a particular building.
“This kind of technology helps law enforcement stay ahead of the challenges posed in difficult operations,” said Latham. “It is an example of how technology can aid the law enforcement community.”
The funding will also provide for several other law enforcement-related programs in the state. The four initiatives, including the visual imaging support, total over $2.5 million.
$1.4 million of the budgeted funds will be allocated to the Midwest Forensics Project, which operates out of the U.S. Department of Energy lab located in Ames. These funds will help continue research and training in advanced forensics techniques, and the results of these studies will help all levels of law enforcement in the state.
Iowa Central Community College’s First Responder Training Program will also be a beneficiary of the proposed funding, and is slated to receive $500,000 to assist in the training of students to respond to a wide range of situations including fire fighting, disease response and terrorism preparedness.
Also receiving funds under the proposed bill will be the ISEAGE cyber security program at Iowa State University that helps to develop defense and security programs to guard against online threats.
“I am working to ensure that these innovative Iowa initiatives have the support and resources they need to continue to keep Iowans safe,” said Latham. “We must make sure law enforcement officials have all the latest equipment they need to keep our communities and their officers safe.”
The initiatives are all a sub-sect to the much larger 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, or House Resolution 2847 (H.R. 2847).
This legislation provides the funding for government agencies like the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice and various other agencies like NASA.
In total H.R. 2847 reaches a sum of $64.4 billion dollars, a $6.8 billion increase from the 2009 fiscal year.
The House voted on H.R. 2847 on June 18, and despite the earmarks for local law enforcement Congressman Latham joined District 5 representative Steve King in voting against the bill which passed with 259 votes of Yea and 157 Nay.
Latham has not released a statement in regards to his decision to vote against the bill.
The bill still needs to pass the Senate and be signed before it will officially pass into law.
Story created Jul 01, 2009 – 14:49:51 CDT.
