PARIS — Police Chief Michael Madden said grants awarded to the department tallied $64,000 during the past 15 months, and the department is looking to secure another $20,000 before the fiscal year ends in June.  

“We are always looking to be able to improve the department without taking it out of the taxpayer’s pocket,” Madden said in an email.  

Over the past year, the department has received seven grants, mostly from federal sources, including the Bureau of Highway Safety, Office of Homeland Security and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. 

“Once the grant money is secured, we don’t have to budget for that overtime or equipment so we either reduce the budget or budget for something else that we really need,” Madden said. 

The money has been used for rifle scopes, computers, duty handguns, salaries for extra patrols to enforce speed, drunken-driving and seat belt laws, distracted driving programs and salaries for training.

The funding has allowed for simunitions training, which replicates real-life scenarios with paint bullets, as well as tactical and firearms training, Madden said.

Two years ago, advocates cited high costs as the main reason to disband the department and contract services with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office. The proposal was defeated by a large majority at the polls in June 2013. Paris budgeted $587,372 for fiscal year 2015, down from $591,400 the year before. The Budget Committee will convene this month to begin deliberations on next year’s budget. 

“I can’t speak to years ago, but this is a major increase in grants received by this department over the last five to 10 years,” said Madden, who has been chief since October 2013.

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