Southpinellas: $10,000 grant to help pay for drug-fighting equipment

$10,000 grant to help pay for drug-fighting equipment

By Times staff writer

ST. PETE BEACH -- The police department will purchase night-vision and surveillance equipment with a criminal justice grant awarded through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

St. Pete Beach police Chief Ray Kaminskas said the equipment will benefit the city's drug interdiction program. The night-vision equipment will help investigators see in subdued lighting, and heat-sensitive equipment will help them determine whether someone is inside a building.

The state grant is for $10,000. The city's drug forfeiture fund will pay the remaining $1,134.45 to cover the costs of the equipment.

"Drug dealers are paying for all this," Kaminskas said.