CHARLESTON — The City of Elkins will receive $950,000 in federal funding to help implement a street camera system that will utilize license plate reader technology in an effort to detect and prevent crime.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that $4,043,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice will go to eight projects to promote public safety and support law enforcement across West Virginia.

“We’re going to be putting street cameras and some other technology throughout our city,” Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain Monday.

“We have a few hurdles that we still have to overcome for that project,” he added. “We’re hoping to have that money maybe by October, and then things would go out of bid the appropriate way.

“The new technology will help not just our city’s law enforcement, but also other law enforcement entities that may need access to it,” Marco said. “We feel very blessed that we got the congressional earmark. We appreciate Senators Manchin and Capito for supporting us in this endeavor.”

In March, Elkins Police Department Chief Travis Bennett issued a press release thanking West Virginia’s senatorial representatives for helping to find the funding.

“The City of Elkins would like to thank Sen. Joe Manchin III and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito for their efforts in securing $950,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Elkins Police Department,” Bennett wrote in the release.

“This investment will allow EPD to make significant technology upgrades that will greatly assist us in protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Elkins and our visitors. The most notable portion of this project will be the implementation of a street camera system utilizing license plate reader technology.

“Systems such as these have proven to be very effective at assisting law enforcement agencies in preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activity,” he wrote. “This system will also provide valuable assistance in non-criminal tasks such as traffic crash investigation, missing persons, and monitoring roadway conditions during inclement weather.”

The federal funding award is one of the Congressionally Directed Spending requests Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

“West Virginia neighborhoods are safer when our brave law enforcement personnel have the resources and tools they need to effectively do their jobs,” said Manchin. “These investments will provide essential equipment, training and technology upgrades to law enforcement departments throughout West Virginia, as well as establish an innovative new forensic DNA center at Marshall University.

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding through Congressionally Directed Spending and other programs to ensure the safety and security of our communities across the Mountain State.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provide an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians.