CAMBRIDGE P.D. LANDS GRANT

VILLAGE of CAMBRIDGE, N.Y. -- The police department has received a federal
grant to purchase equipment to help fight the rise in drug-related
incidents in the village.

The U.S. Office of Drug Control Policy awarded the department $15,000 under
the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center, which gives local and state
police equipment they need to combat drugs.

"The grants go to both large and small cities to give assistance in
fighting drug problems. Most of the work done to prevent drug use is done
on the local level," Rafael Lemaitre, spokesman for the U.S. Office of Drug
Control Policy, said Wednesday.

Police Chief George Bell said the equipment will boost the force's
resources in fighting drug-related crimes.

"The equipment is definitely needed. With the size of our police force,
having equipment like this will be a big help," said Bell, whose department
employs one other full-time officer and 14 part-time officers. Bell
declined to describe the specific equipment purchased.

Getting local police departments cutting-edge technology is a top priority
for the federal government, Lemaitre said. Local police, who know the
community and where the problems lie, are the most qualified to impact the
drug problem, he added.

Bell said the grant also paid for a three-day training session in Orlando,
Fla., that certified him to use it.

The grant comes on the heels of a recent drug bust, in which local police
arrested a woman who was stopped with 1.5 pounds of marijuana in her vehicle.

The marijuana was most likely on its way to be redistributed within the
village, and other arrests related to the case are expected to be made
soon, Bell said.

"We have a definite drug problem in the village. We are seeing more and
more drugs come in the village from the outside like Troy and Vermont,"
said Bell, who took the initiative to apply for the equipment grant.

The department is requesting $158,000 for its operating budget, or a
17-percent increase, Bell said. The rise in drug investigations is a
factor, he added.

"A simple drug investigation can use up several man-hours to complete,"
said Bell. In 2002, the village police department investigated 46
drug-related cases. The amount represents an increase in drug activity over
the past few years, he said.

The police have worked with various drug enforcement agencies, including
the Washington County Drug Task Force, along with the Rensselaer County
Drug Task Force, for assistance in stopping drug traffic through the
village, Bell said.