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The Goodyear Police Department has been awarded $54,524 in federal grant funds to help offset costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Santiago “Jimmy” Rodriquez told the Goodyear City Council during regular session Monday, Aug. 24 the department accepted a U.S. Department of Justice Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program Grant on July 23 and asked the council to approve its acceptance. The city received notice of grant availability June 8.
“We had a very short window to work with,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “With council’s calendar and going on summer break and so forth, it took us a bit to get it on the calendar.”
“I’ve made this statement before and I’ll make it again. I do not like approving things after the fact. I think we had time between June 9 and the time we left July 13 to get this on our calendar,” Vice Mayor Bill Stipp said. “Fortunately, it’s for a really good cause and it’s quote, unquote free money, so we’ll take it.”
“Duly noted and understood,” the chief responded before the council voted unanimously to approve the acceptance as part of its consent calendar.
The grant, managed by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, will help the department cover Personal Protective Equipment including half masks with filters and other supplies purchased for officers, as well as costs of vehicle decontamination between Jan. 20, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2022.
Kelly O’Sullivan is a longtime journalist who joined Independent Newsmedia in January 2020, after returning to the Valley from Twentynine Palms, California, where she worked for eight years as a communications specialist for the U.S. Marine Corps. When she’s not covering stories of interest to Litchfield Park, Goodyear and other Southwest Valley residents, she stays busy rediscovering Arizona and photographing its spectacular landscapes and wildlife.
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