CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Sheriff Max Dorsey with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office says he seeking out funding for needs at the Sheriff’s Office.
Dorsey says the department has been successful with receiving grant applications.
Just recently – the Chester County Sheriff’s Office received approval from county council to purchase 10 new tasers.
The Sheriff’s Office received approximately $38,000 in funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program through the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
This competitive grant funds all kinds of law enforcement programs across the country.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Department applied for six projects and won funding for two of them.
Sheriff Dorsey says 24,000 of the $38,000 was used for the new tasers, something that was needed for newly-hired deputies.
“What a taser does is that it is a less than lethal tool that we can use, so, the more tools that we can provide these deputies, the more likely they are to be able to make the best decision in volatile situations,” Dorsey said.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office also applied for funds to enhance its courthouse security.
The funds will pay for 3 new mangetometers that attendees walk through to prevent weapons from entering the court room.
Sheriff Dorsey says since he’s been serving over the past 18 months, the department has received 1.2 million dollars in grants.
Now that the tasers have been approved, the Chester County Sheriff’s Department will be ordering them very soon.
With most grants you have to pay a match, but for the sheriff’s office – it’s only having to pay less than 6 thousand dollars, something Dorsey says is huge cost saving for county citizens.
Dorsey is facing re-election this November against former embattled sheriff Alex Underwood.
