Grant Sought for Airborne Law Enforcement Upgrades

The Airborne Law Enforcement Assn. is in the preliminary stages of seeking a U.S. grant to underwrite upgrades for police aviation units. The group is working with advisers in Washington on a key first step: from which federal agency to seek the funding. The two top contenders are the Justice Dept. and the Homeland Security Dept. The group's idea is to seek money to match dollar for dollar funding from agencies that want to upgrade their aircraft; an emphasis would be on those upgrading from military surplus to commercially produced aircraft. A second portion of the grant would fund at 100 percent technology upgrades for police aircraft, such as new forward-looking infrared sensors, moving maps, and interoperable radio systems. For related news