City Receives $1.2M Homeland Security Grant for the Birmingham Police Department’s K-9 Unit
Media Advisory
Contact:
April Odom
Mayor’s Office of Public Information
City Receives $1.2M Homeland Security Grant for the Birmingham Police Department’s K-9 Unit
The City of Birmingham will receive a $1,212,000.00 award from the Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The federal agency funds the National Explosives Detection Canine Team Task Force. The City of Birmingham Police Department has the largest K-9 Unit in the state and is tasked with covering the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport’s search and detection inspections along with the unit’s patrol dogs, drug dogs and tracking dogs.
“The City’s Police Department and particularly this unit covers everything from fleeing felons to missing persons. We appreciate their work and dedication and the hard work of our grants division for securing this much needed funding for the officers and the unit,” said Birmingham Mayor William Bell.
“This grant covers 100% of the expenses of the officers in the Explosive Detection Canine Team Program along with the expenses for the canines. The BPD along with the City’s grants division is aggressively pursuing both federal grants and private sector funding opportunities to enhance the efficiency and provide funding for technology and equipment needed for the betterment of the department,” said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper.
The grant is a four year award.
###
