Belleville Chief of Police Ron Gignac (right) and Deputy Chief Mike Callaghan. (Photo: Quinte News)
It wasn’t hard for the Belleville Police Services board to recommend city council approve the department’s capital budget today (Thursday).
The police service’s budget for next year totals $695,000 and is almost 15% lower than the capital budget for this year.
Chief of Police for the City of Belleville, Ron Gignac, was especially enthusiastic about one item in the budget, a traffic safety vehicle equipped with ALPRS (automated license plate recognition system).
“If residents or outsiders coming into the city think they can get away with driving under suspension, they’re making a mistake. We’re going to catch them”, said the Chief.
“This technology is also going to help us arrest gang members and other criminals passing through our city.”
ALPRS has been shown to be a good revenue generator for any police service using it, something Chief Gignac says is only good news for the local taxpayer as those breaking the law are actually helping pay for policing.
Meanwhile, Chief Gignac, Deputy Chief Mike Callaghan and other senior staff were congratulated by Mayor Taso Christopher, Councillor Jack Miller, and resident board member Tom Lafferty for saving money by buying some good used equipment for the service.
It’s estimated the department saved $47,000 by purchasing a slightly used vehicle from another police service and another $14,000 was saved by purchasing other used equipment.
