Goshen Township Police Department
Right on Target: Grant Means an Equipment Upgrade
A picture is worth 1,000 convictions - at least when it comes to police work, anyway. And now thanks to Target, the Goshen Township Police Department will have better equipment to take those pictures.
 Karla Ball, a Target store manager, called Police Chief Ray Snyder recently to let him know the Goshen Township Police Department had been chosen for a $700 grant from the store. Although Snyder's name was on the application form, Snyder says he's not the one who applied for the grant. In fact, it's a mystery to everyone who did nominate the Township for the grant.
Police officers use cameras to take pictures of crime scenes, auto accidents, and most other calls where they're required to gather evidence. The pictures can later help them link pieces of a crime together, and serve as crucial evidence once the case makes it to a courtroom.
The current cameras that the Township uses are at least a decade old and are a far cry from the modern digital cameras most people think are common place electronics. These cameras save pictures on a floppy disc, which is then placed into a computer for transfer. The grant will allow Goshen Township to acquire 7 new digital cameras to replace the dated tools. "I didn't have money to replace these cameras in my equipment budget," Snyder said, "The cameras wouldn't be getting replaced without this grant."
Township Trustees will have to approve accepting the grant at their January 13th meeting before the check can be cashed.
Snyder says the department will purchase the most rugged camera at the best price available, but of course, the department plans to make Target their first stop when shopping.
One of the old cameras will be placed in the Chief's car, as it currently does not have a camera at all. The rest will be placed in the Department's storage hold until the next public police auction at which time they will be auctioned off to the public.
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