Harckham Funds New Town of Kent Police Department Vehicles
State Sen. Pete Harckham with (l-r) Kent Police Lt. Alex Vanderwoude, Kent Councilmember Shaun Boyd, Kent Supervisor Jaime McGlasson and Kent Police Chief Kevin Owens
Senator Harckham has secured more than $8 million for law enforcement since taking office
Kent Lakes, NY - New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that the Town of Kent Police Department has been able to purchase and deploy two new vehicles thanks to a $100,000 State Senate grant he secured.
The vehicles, which include an Electric Vehicle (EV) for testing purposes, were purchased with two $50,000 grants that Harckham secured through the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology (CREST) program. Harckham has delivered more than $8 million in grants for the police agencies throughout the 40th Senate District since taking office in 2019.
“Police departments must be equipped with up-to-date vehicles that are reliable to ensure that officers can respond to emergencies with speed, precision, and effectiveness,” said Harckham. “The Kent Police Department is also showing foresight in testing an EV vehicle for use in responding to emergencies and for patrol purposes. EVs offer reduced long-term maintenance costs, vastly improved acceleration, stealthiness, and they are climate friendly.”
“We appreciate Senator Harckham’s continued support for the Town of Kent,” said Town Supervisor Jaime McGlasson. “Our police department is essential to our community. It’s vital that it has the latest tools that it needs to help keep our community safe and secure.”
“The Town of Kent Police Department is excited to announce the purchase of two new vehicles utilizing grant funding,” said Police Chief Kevin Owens. “We are extremely grateful to Senator Harckham for assisting our department with this grant and his continued support of our agency.”
The Kent Police Department purchased a 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning EV, which is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of electric vehicles for patrol duties. The second vehicle purchased is a 2024 Dodge Durango to be used as a command vehicle for large events, gatherings, or incidents in which additional staffing and infrastructure would be utilized. The vehicle can be converted into a small mobile command center.
In addition to the $8 million for law-enforcement, Harckham has delivered more than $22 million in State Senate grant funding to municipalities, other first responders and nonprofits in his Senate district.
