The Benton Police Department will be unveiling a new evidence collection vehicle (ECV) on Friday, June 11th at 1:00 PM at the police department.  Police chiefs from Benton and Bryant, and the Saline County Sheriff will be on hand for the conference.

The ECV was obtained through a Department of Justice grant that was written by Lt. Scotty Hodges.  The original amount for the grant was $99,950 and an additional $32,000 was added from the state to complete the purchase, and provide money for maintenance and operating costs in the future.  The money from the state was from state capital improvement funds provided to the city and allocated to the police department by the city council.  Rep. Barbara Nix, Sen. Shane Broadway, and Benton Mayor Rick Holland were instrumental in helping to secure these funds for the vehicle and our community.

The ECV was designed by Chief Lane of the Benton Police Department and was purchased from the Sirchie Crime Scene Supply Company.  It is fully equipped with all of the needed equipment and supplies to detect, preserve, and collect all types of evidence critical to law enforcement investigations.  It contains indoor and outdoor lighting as well as an onboard generator and portable lighting.  It also has an advanced first aid element on board where medical supplies are available to assist the investigators and other injured persons if needed.  This equipment will enable investigators to handle crime scenes without delay in any kind of weather conditions, day or night.

Although the primary mission of the ECV is evidence collection it will also play other roles as well.  During times of emergencies, such as a natural disaster, the vehicle will function as a command post for rescue operations.  It will also be used as a public relations tool to allow our officers to easily interact with the public about its operation.

Saline County law enforcement agencies have a great working relationship with each other and often work joint operations and events.  Both Benton and Bryant Police, and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office have full-time detectives/investigators on staff.  A number of them from each agency are state certified Advanced Crime Scene Technicians, and they will be the primary operators of the ECV.

Benton, Bryant, and the Sheriff’s Office have all signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of the vehicle, but they will not be the only ones that have access to it.  Other agencies such as the Alexander, Bauxite, Haskell, and Shannon Hills Police Departments will also have access to it when requested.  As the grant originating agency the Benton Police Department will be storing the ECV at our facility.