MAXTON — The Maxton Police Department is now equipped with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of new gear at no cost the town, the police chief told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Chief Na’Shayla Nelson gave commissioners and community members a first look at the newly updated equipment consisting of new TASER style stun guns, body cameras, surveillance equipment and radios.
New Viper radio systems were purchased with the help of federal CARES Act funding, and are compatible with dispatch systems used by Robeson County law enforcement.
“We went from analogue to digital radio,” Nelson said.
In 2008, the town purchased stun guns that were considered the oldest model available, Nelson said.
“Through a partnership with the Winston-Salem Police Department, they donated the X2 TASERs, which is the newer generation and zero process,” Nelson said. “They donated the taser along with the battery pack, which is wireless operated, so when an officer pulls out the taser, their body camera will automatically activate.”
All police officers will receive a Axon body camera, complete with advanced imaging that leave no room for manipulated data, according to Nelson.
‘These body cameras don’t require us to do any in-house storage. Footage will be stored through a cloud,” Nelson said.
All of the equipment obtained will assist in making the Police Department as transparent as possible, the police chief said.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners held a public hearing to discuss and answer questions about the town’s intent to apply for the Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization Program.
If awarded, the program will offer the town the opportunity to tailor a project to meet the community development needs specific and most critical to their locality. The CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization Program incorporates several previous Rural Economic Development Division Community Development Block Grant programs and activities such as Scattered Site Housing and Supportive Housing.
North Carolina received approximately $48.5 million in CDBG funds for 2020. Of this amount, approximately $10 million will be made available for the 2021 CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization Program.
Following the public hearing, the commissioners selected WithersRavenel as the firm to handle the engineering and administrative duties for the grant process. The selection was made upon request from the town’s clerk and manager.
Also Tuesday, the commissioners amended the town’s State of Emergency proclamation issued in August, to re-establish a mask mandate at Town Hall. Town employees and residents entering town-owned facilities are now required to wear a mask.
The commissioners adopted a resolution giving town administrators the green light to sale two parcels of land on Florence Street, totaling about two acres.
The properties will be sold through a 30-day bidding process advertised through a local newspaper.
