Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊThe North Manchester Police Department will get new computer software and bulletproof vests, the town council decided at Wednesday's meeting.
The software is a database program that is comparable to the system used by Fort Wayne and other bigger city police departments, but that costs much less. According to a police department spokesman, the software is more reliable than the current system and has a higher capacity for record storage.
The program will cost $15,300, which includes set-up and training fees. A yearly technical support fee of $3,600 will be assessed. This fee is $400 less than the tech support fee charged by the current software system provider.
A 50 percent matching grant awarded to the department will pay for half the cost of 10 new bulletproof vests. The vests are needed by the department, said town manager Dan Hannaford and a police department spokesman, because the current vests are more than five years old. The vests should be replaced every four to five years, as they deteriorate quickly.
Town council members are Karl Merritt, Warren Garner, Nancy Reed, Stan Escott, Bill Hix and Don Rinearson. Town manager is Dan Hannaford, town attorney is Charles Tiede.
