Police department gets new equipment
Liberty Lake police will soon have wireless-capable covert surveillance equipment and an additional roadside sobriety test unit, thanks to state and federal grants that are proving to be a boon for the small police department.
The department recently received a $487 grant from the Washington State Traffic Commission to purchase a preliminary breath test unit. The units cost about $500 each and are used along with roadside sobriety tests to determine if a driver should be charged with DUI. The devices give an alcohol content reading and are very accurate, Police Chief Brian Asmus said.
“We try to equip each car with one of those,” he said. “This is just another test we can use to give us a preliminary reading.”
Another grant will enable the department to get wireless-capable video surveillance equipment later this summer. The $14,000 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program grant was awarded by the Department of Homeland Security. The equipment will allow police to set up covert surveillance of a site and monitor the feed remotely, which could come in handy when investigating equipment thefts from construction sites. Just last week wood trim and a table saw were stolen from a construction site at Hawkstone Loop.
This is the third year in a row that the department has received the Homeland Security grant. Previous years grants paid for night vision equipment and an infrared tracking device.
The grants are a boon to the department, which would otherwise not be able to afford such technology, Asmus said. “We’re small and these are expensive pieces of equipment,” he said. “We do make them available to other agencies if they need them.”
A fairly busy week for police, May 5 through 12 only netted four arrests. Police, along with Valley Fire, responded to a fire call at a condo at 301 S. Liberty Lake Drive just south of the city limits to find a man burning garbage in a wood-burning stove.
In separate incidents, officers arrested at 25-year-old Spokane man for driving under the influence, and a 29-year-old Spokane man wanted on a warrant for domestic violence assault. A 22-year-old Spokane Valley man was stopped for having expired vehicle registration but was arrested on a possession of marijuana charge after the officer smelled the drug in the vehicle. A 24-year-old Spokane Valley man was arrested for driving with a suspended license and speeding.
In other activity, officers handed out three citations for license and plates required, two for failure to show liability insurance, two for failure to stop at a red light, six for speeding and two for second-degree negligent driving. Citations were also given out for attachment of plate to vehicle, driving with a suspended license, a logbook violation, illegal use of studded tires and failure to wear a safety belt. Police conducted seven commercial vehicle inspections and responded to calls for domestic violence, vehicle theft and property theft.