Crime Analyst Renewed

 Amherst Police Department, 111 Main Street

The U.S. military relies on "smart bombs" to effectively fulfill their number one role of keeping Americans safe.

While not as dramatic as a computer/laser guided Tomahawk missile taking out an enemy bunker,  the nondescript office adjacent to Amherst police Chief Scott Livingstone will continue to host key civilian employee Amber Sullivan, thanks to another grant provided the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety & Security.

Last year after an extensive search Sullivan was hired to make sense out of a mountain of data concerning criminal activity in our little town, which has its share of big city problems.

The more you understand the who, what, when, where, and why of crime the more effectively you can marshal scarce resources to better deal with it.

The Amherst Police Department is nothing if not skilled at acquiring state and federal grants:  In FY 2013 (ended June 30) the department bolstered their a $4.3 million operation budget with an additional $362,250 in grants.

$41,250 by Executive Office of Public Safety & Security for Crime Analyst

$5,000 by EOPSS for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
$10,000 by EOPSS for Alcohol Enforcement initiatives
$6,000 by EOPSS for Highway Safety Initiatives

$300,000 by Department Of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women, for funding civilian advocate and an domestic violence/sexual assault investigator (expires 09/13/15)