LPD to buy license plate reader with grant funds

The Lockport Police Department plans to purchase a new license plate reader thanks to $20,000 in state funds.

Sen. Robert Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, took credit for securing the funding, which was allocated in the state budget for public protection.

Police plan to mount the reader on a patrol vehicle. 

The electronic plate readers tell police officers whether a passing motorist has suspended registration, an arrest warrant, is driving a stolen vehicle or is a suspect in an AMBER alert-listed child abduction. The readers do not identify motorists who commit traffic infractions or have a suspended license or no license.

Ortt also secured $20,000 for the Niagara Falls Police Department, $5,000 each for the Lewiston and Youngstown police departments and $15,000 for the Niagara County Sheriff's Office. NFPD plan to us the funding to purchase ballistic helmets for its SWAT team and protective gear for its other officers, while Lewiston and Youngstown police plan to purchase body cameras, according to an Ortt spokesperson.

LPD is also hoping Niagara County will receive grant funding that would allow the department to buy up to 11 new readers.