Wilkes-Barre Police awarded nearly $400K in Federal Funding

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE CO. (WOLF) — The Wilkes-Barre City Police Department is getting a major boost to its current fleet of vehicles with nearly $400,000 in federal funding to help improve operations across the Diamond City.

City officials, alongside Congressman Rob Bresnahan, gathered for a press conference outside of the Police Headquarters on Monday morning to announce the federal funding the City of Wilkes-Barre received to acquire five new police vehicles and upgrade law enforcement equipment inside of those vehicles, from the radio, the light package, and other technology to fight crime.

“Investments like this help local departments keep pace with changing demands, while continuing to provide the level of service residents can expect," Rep. Bresnahan said.

The check for more than $372,000 will allow Chief Mike Boyle and the City Police Department to rotate vehicles, instead of keeping all 26 of their current vehicles out on the road at all times.

“We’ll be able to take vehicles out of service instead of running them 24/7 to kind of number one, mitigate the mileage, wear and tear on the vehicles and just essentially give them a break," Chief Boyle said.

Congressman Bresnahan took an up-close and personal look at one of the new 2027 Ford SUVs and all the technologically advanced features in and out of the vehicle.

Bresnahan also praised the work of federal, state and local government officials who helped secure this funding to ensure the brave men and women of the Wilkes-Barre PD have all they need to keep their neighbors protected.

“That’s why there needs to be partnerships between the federal, state and local government to make sure that our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to do their jobs to keep our community safe," Rep. Bresnahan said.