Scranton to seek $750,000 in grants for police technology, recruitment

Scranton plans to apply for $750,000 in federal and state grants for police department technology and officer recruitment, retention and training.

Last Tuesday, Scranton City Council unanimously introduced two resolutions from the administration of Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti to have the city apply for the grants, including $500,000 for technological equipment upgrades and $250,000 for officer recruitment, retention and training.

Council President Tom Schuster and members Patrick Flynn, Mark McAndrew, Sean McAndrew and Jessica Rothchild voted yes to introduce each resolution. The grants likely will come back before council this week for second votes on adoption at council's regular weekly meeting rescheduled from Tuesday to Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Here's a look at each grant:

Technology

• $500,000 from the U.S Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office, "to replace outdated, costly technology with a modern integrated system that improves efficiency, transparency and public safety," according to the pending legislation.

The Police Department plans to put a "Real Time Crime Center" and administrative offices on the second floor of an annex the city is buying at the former Fidelity Bank branch next to City Hall. A closing on the $1.88 million purchase of the building is expected to take place Aug. 2.

The building will need some security upgrades completed before the Police Department can occupy the second floor, and then outfitting that floor with technology for a Real Time Crime Center also will take some time, Police Chief Thomas Carroll told council during a caucus last Tuesday, according to an Electric City Television simulcast and video of the meeting posted on YouTube.

The pending grant legislation says upgraded surveillance and communications systems "are essential to meet rising demands" of crime fighting and law enforcement; and the funding would allow the city "to implement critical security upgrades and acquire an advanced drone system to enhance public safety, emergency response and situational awareness.

"As the city grows, these security enhancements would "increase operational efficiency, improve coordination during critical incidents and ensure the police department is equipped to meet evolving public safety needs," according to the resolution.

Recruitment, retention, training

• $250,000 from the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency for police officer recruitment, retention and training. The department "continues to face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified law enforcement personnel amid increased competition from surrounding agencies," according to the legislation.

This grant would do the following:

• Establish incentives for hiring up to 10 Act 120-certified officers who transfer to the city Police Department; and pay retention bonuses of $10,000 for officers to stay beyond retirement eligibility (25 years of service and age 55). "These initiatives will help preserve institutional knowledge, reduce staffing vacancies, minimize overtime and maintain consistent public safety services."

• Provide assistance with repaying Act 120 tuition "to remove barriers for potential recruits." The city would sponsor up to 10 police academy recruits by covering tuition and related costs of $9,000 per recruit.

• Support advanced command and leadership training for supervisors, with up to 10 participating annually in nationally recognized leadership development courses. "Investing in professional development strengthens operational readiness, improves decision-making, enhances succession planning and ensures the department is prepared to meet evolving public safety challenges."

"We want to make sure they have the latest and greatest tools in technology, (and) the education, the training that goes along with this," Carroll said. "We could buy all the technology in the world, but if we don't have solid people to operate that technology, it's worthless."

Doing more with less

Carroll also said during the caucus that the police force is at 80% strength, which reflects broader challenges in recruitment and staffing shortages experienced by police departments and the military in general.

"We face the same challenges that other police departments and actually other organizations and businesses are facing - the staffing shortage," Carroll told council.

During the past four years that he's been chief, the city has hired approximately 40 officers but also has had numerous departures, mainly through retirements, Carroll said.

"It's very tough to get ahead with recruiting today, whether it be military or police," Carroll said, noting for example that last week the department had one officer retire and one sworn in. The department has used grants to fund overtime and put more officers on the street, he said.

"We do have a deficiency. However, I like to say we're lean because we're doing more with less and the officers, as you can see, are performing magnificently. Right now it (staffing shortage) is not a detriment to us, but it's not something we want to sustain long-term over the years," Carroll said.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 3:04 PM.