The Riverside Police Department announced Monday that it had been awarded a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to purchase equipment to enhance video images used in crime cases.
According to Assistant Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, the Commercial Direct Assistance Program grant will go toward the purchase of as well as the training for the Video Detective Image Processing System. The Video Detective system is a portable unit that can be used to enhance the quality of any videos given to police, including VHS and DVD formats. The unit can also be used for remote surveillance.
“This state of the art equipment will allow investigators to enhance the video for better followup and court prosecution,” Weitzel said.
Currently, if police receive poor-quality video from a crime scene, they must take the video to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab to enhance the quality.
“It’s a long process,” Weitzel said. “This allows us to have the same type of equipment housed in the detective’s office.”
The grant also includes funds to send one Riverside detective to Florida for training.
