The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

February 26

Writing grant applications just the ticket for this cop

MELANIE CREAMER

— By

Staff Writer

WESTBROOK — Westbrook police Capt. Tom Roth 'does grant-writing as a sideline, and he's quite good at it.

The city's police department pulled in more than $500,000 in grants this year through his efforts, which tapped into economic stimulus funds and other sources.

Roth's work has brought in enough to buy some much-needed equipment, including a 2009 Ford Expedition SUV that the city bought earlier this month, and to hire two new officers to combat drug use and domestic violence.

Roth has been writing grants since he joined the department nearly seven years ago. He also teaches the craft to other policing agencies.

Westbrook Police Chief William Baker said each grant application targets a specific need in the city. He attributed Roth's success to his experience in the field.

''It gives him an edge,'' Baker said. ''I think that's part of the reason he is so successful and we are benefiting from the numbers we are.''

Roth said the trick to writing a good grant is to be thorough.

''The whole grant arena is huge,'' he said.

''The money out there is astounding.''

This year, the department raked in a record $526,110 in grants, including money for reducing underage drinking and purchasing laptops for cruisers, a camera and new computer software.

Westbrook has received nearly $800,000 grants since Roth joined the department six years ago.

The new SUV is outfitted with the department's tactical response equipment, which includes less-than-lethal weapons like Tasers and pepper-spray pellets.

The vehicle was paid for with two Department of Justice grants totalling $116,136.

Roth said the SUV will help officers responding to a mental health crisis or armed conflict situation. Previously, an officer had to load a vehicle with the tactical response equipment before responding to the scene. Now, the equipment will be on the road when a situation arises.

''We have a great new vehicle at no cost to the citizens,'' Roth said.

''The grants relieve a burden on the city and provide officers with equipment to help them do their jobs safely and effectively.''

Other funds include a three-year, $375,074 grant this year from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS. It paid salaries and benefits for two police officers for three years.

With the aid of the grant, the department appointed two veteran officers to investigate the city's ongoing problem with drugs and domestic violence.

Roth said the COPS grant was a competitive process with a 38-page application.

''The COPS grant was critical to address the problems in a much stronger method than we did before,'' Roth said. ''We've already opened a lot more drug investigations. We're getting a lot more intelligence. Now, we have someone to follow up.''

The department has 38 officers and operates on an estimated $2.2 million budget.

Roth's efforts come at a time when city and school departments grapple with dwindling revenue shortfalls.

Many cities rely on police departments to do their own grant writing, but some, like Portland, hire civilians to craft their requests. This year, Portland police collected more than $2 million in grants.

The South Portland Police Department relies on has a variety of officers and city officials to write their grants.

This year, the city pulled in $263,869, which includes a two-year grant for violence against women.

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com