WARD COUNTY—Ward County Commissioners recently approved the purchase of an evidence drying cabinet and crime scene barriers with funds gained through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.
Named in honor of New York City police officer Edward R. Byrne, who was murdered in 1988 while protecting a drug case witness, JAG funds are federal dollars administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to aid state and local criminal justice entities, like sheriff’s departments, police departments, and so forth.
Ward County Sheriff Robert Roed and Minot Police Chief John Klug have an Interlocal Agreement, in that each department shares the JAG funds issued to Minot-area law enforcement.
“$18,032 that we share with the Minot Police Department. Some years if we have a big item we want to buy together, we do that. Other years we divide it in half. Ward County Sheriff Robert Roed
Sheriff Roed explained that it will be “$18,032 that we share with the Minot Police Department. Some years if we have a big item we want to buy together, we do that. Other years we divide it in half. This year is one where we’ll divide it in half.”
An evidence drying cabinet was the first item that Sheriff Roed requested, for “a homicide or something like that where there is blood on a shirt, it would be able to go in that cabinet and be able to dry quickly.” Sheriff Roed added, “There are a lot of advantages to processing and transporting the evidence.”
Lastly, Sheriff Roed explained their need for crime scene barriers “[The barriers] will mostly be used for fatality accidents, homicides, or something like that…or where you don’t want people coming up to view the body,” he said. He continued to share how they would help protect the crime scene from exposure to elements.
Major Larry Hubbard with the Ward County Sheriff’s department clarified that once the JAG funds cleared, they would soon begin bids for the equipment sought by their department.
