The U.S. Justice Department awarded $1.294 million in grants to two New York sheriff’s offices for a Lake Champlain patrol vessel and technology upgrades. Clinton County received $500,000 for the boat, while Ulster County received $794,000 for communications, investigative and field equipment, the Northern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The grants were received Sept. 30 through the Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants program, according to the federal announcement. The program funds projects designated in Justice Department appropriations law to improve criminal justice operations, prevent juvenile delinquency or help crime victims. The release does not provide purchase dates or final procurement contracts for either county.
Clinton County plans to buy a mission-specific vessel for emergency response and patrols on Lake Champlain, including waters along the Canadian border and near Vermont. Sheriff David Favro said the boat would help deputies respond to emergencies and patrol international waters. The announcement does not identify the vessel model, operating costs or where it will be based.
Ulster County’s project covers emergency communications, investigations, corrections, crisis response and field operations. The sheriff’s office plans to procure next-generation 911 and phone capabilities, a crisis-intervention and overdose-data platform, mobile-device forensic technology and a handheld Raman-based drug-identification device. Cameras, automated license-plate readers and AI-assisted report drafting are also listed.
Those are proposed uses of the grant, not evidence that the equipment has already been installed. The federal release says the county expects the changes to improve coordination and follow-up, but it does not include performance measures or a schedule for assessing those claims.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said partnerships with local law enforcement are important across the Northern District. The release does not identify any other New York recipient in this announcement.
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