The Kingston Police Department will get $1.15 million in new state funding for technology upgrades. KPD Chief Egidio Tinti said possible uses for the funds include expanding the city’s network of surveillance cameras and license plate readers, upgrading mobile data terminals and replacing outdated software.

“This unprecedented investment in the Kingston Police Departments to purchase new technology and equipment will allow us to continue to modernize our operations and procedures,” said Mayor Steve Noble in a statement. “With this funding, we will be able to increase public safety with the addition of new and upgraded technology, which will also allow our officers to spend more of their time connecting directly with our community.”

The money comes through the state Department of Criminal Justice Services’ Law Enforcement Technology program. The funding is part of a $127 million investment in police technology for New York’s 378 law enforcement agencies announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday. The program allows the funding to be applied for a wide range of public safety technology, including remote cameras, gunshot detectors, drones and smart technology for police vehicles and officers.

Tinti called the funding a major advance in the city’s ongoing effort to use technology in solve crimes and increase overall efficiency. “To have that much money come through specifically for technology is huge for us,” said Tinti.

Since 2020, the department has invested heavily in technology. Currently the KPD maintains a network of surveillance cameras targeting crime “hot spots” identified through data analysis. The cameras, Tinti said, are now an invaluable tool allowing detectives to piece together crimes without relying on often-reluctant civilian witnesses to turn over footage from home security systems.

Tinti also lobbied for and got funding for a network of license plate readers set up to cover all routes in and out of the city. The devices record the plates of all passing vehicles, allowing police to identify and track vehicles linked to criminal suspects.

The state money, Tinti said, could be applied to upgrade or expand both systems. Tinti added that he was also considering an investment in technology to integrate video interviews with suspects and witnesses into the same system that stores body- and dashboard-mounted camera footage. That would allow the department’s evidence clerk to easily organize all video evidence in a case and send it to the District Attorney’s Office for use by prosecutors. Other potential uses for the funding include replacing the department’s aging scheduling software and the tablets and mobile data terminals used by officers to file reports and log other information from the field.

Tinti said the department will now begin the process of prioritizing technology needs and developing a plan for use of the funds. “When we applied for the grant, we left it pretty broad,” said Tinti. “Now that we got it, we start drilling down and looking at specific technology we want to invest in.”