HAZLETON -- Grant money should soon be pouring into the city of Hazleton to help law enforcement.
"The more omnipresence you have, the better off you are in reducing crime," said Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale.
That's why in May, Speziale applied for and has now been awarded several state and federal grants to pay for three new police vehicles and a complete computerization for all the vehicles in the department's fleet.
Also, just this week, Chief Speziale found out a federal grant of more than $600,000 will fund two new police officers for at least three years.
The department this year has been awarded over $1 million to bolster its force.
"I am already looking at the March grants announcements. When the March grant announcements come out, I will be applying for more police officers, more equipment, more hotspots, more 21st-century policing concepts," Chief Speziale added.
The police department is expected to find out this month if it will get two more grants.
One of those grants would fund overtime for increased patrolling in high-crime neighborhoods and the other would pay for a Shot Spotter system. Shot Spotter is a system that would help police catch those involved in shootings in the city.