The Merrillville Police Department secured nearly $1 million in Community Project Funding to upgrade its radio equipment.

 Police Chief Kosta Nuses said the department’s former radios were past their service life. Repair bills were becoming costly. With Lake County Emergency Communications planning to operate on a different frequency, the devices would be obsolete. The department began pricing new equipment.

 “This is where the panic kicked in,” Nuses said in a press release. “We quickly found out how expensive the replacement radios were going to be.”

Nunes said each handheld radio was going to cost about $12,000.

“For a department that operates on an extremely limited budget, these expenses of purchasing new radios were not just burdensome, they were impossible,” Nunes said.

Rep. Frank Mrvan’s office informed the town of a grant opportunity through the Community Project Funding. The town applied for the grant. Merrillville was selected as one of 15 projects to receive funding.

 “This grant of $963,000 will allow us to purchase state-of-the-art emergency communication equipment for our Merrillville Police Department, ensuring that our officers have the tools to protect and serve the community efficiently and safely,” Rick Bella, town council president, said.

 Mrvan said the community will be safer because of the new equipment.

 “Our brave first responders go to work each day in service of our region, and we must ensure they have the technology and equipment they need to keep themselves and our communities safe,” Mrvan said.

 The new equipment is like a smartphone wrapped in a radio. The radios feature live GPS tracking and can send information and images.

Michael Griffin, town manager, said the new radios will enable the police to send notifications quickly.

“Comforting a parent whose child was lost and then was discovered, to intercept a speeder who is just not recognizing the siren or the lights, and to even catch an offender who might be fleeing the jurisdiction,” Griffin said. “It makes them able to communicate with each other all the better so they can serve us all the better, both safely and effectively.”