Grant funding will enhance body-worn cameras, patrol technology, and digital investigations
BCSO awarded $470K federal grant
By Allyson Dix, Managing Editor/Barren County Progress
Congressman Brett Guthrie announced last week that the Barren County Sheriff’s Office is the recipient of a federal funding grant that will improve technology for the agency. The funding, which totals $470,617, is one of thirteen community project grant awards approved with the passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026.
Barren County Sheriff Kent Keen said the agency applied for the grant in early 2025 after first submitting an application in 2023. Having to reapply is a common expectation for some federal grants.
Integrating technology into law enforcement helps to provide not only increased public safety through real-time processing and training techniques, but it also helps to streamline some of the workflow to allow officers the ability to balance safety, efficiency, and response times.
Keen said the agency is looking at five areas of technology improvements that will be implemented through this grant.
One of the larger expense items the sheriff’s office plans to purchase is advanced body-worn cameras, or more commonly, body cams. Body cams are relatively small cameras worn by law enforcement officers that record public interactions to use as evidence in crime scenes.
While law enforcement officers already have this technology, Keen said the upgraded Axon body camera system will provide live-streaming capabilities and GPS officer tracking in addition to the regular features of video/audio recording.
Another benefit of the Axon body camera system is a Bluetooth-enabled sensor that activates all Axon cameras within a certain range to begin recording immediately if a firearm is drawn from an officer’s holster.
Keen said the department will also be pursuing 15 advanced onboard computers for patrol vehicles, often referred to as Toughbooks. Depending on what type of drivers the computers are equipped with, Toughbooks laptops can link to the dispatch. They also allow officers to complete work reports more efficiently while in their patrol cruisers and other advanced capabilities.
Another portion of the grant will be used to obtain Cellebrite digital forensics software, which allows investigators to access and analyze legally seized cellphones during criminal investigations.
“If investigators are working on a child molestation case, for example, they seize phones that may have inappropriate pictures on it that would be evidence in the case of child crimes,” Keen explained. “This [technology] will allow access into phones that perpetrators may have locked, secured, and hidden in the phone to keep that evidence out of the hands of police.”
The agency also plans to request the purchase of a WRAP reality-based training simulator, a system valued at approximately $70,000. The training simulator uses virtual-reality technology to place officers in realistic, three-dimensional scenarios such as traffic stops, verbal negotiations, or high-risk encounters.
An interesting aspect of this technology is that it allows the scenarios to be escalated or de-escalated in real time by an operator of a nearby computer station. The department also plans to extend the training to other local agencies.
“The operator can put in scenarios for the officer to determine whether he is encountering a dangerous situation or just a verbal negotiation situation,” Keen said. “If we obtain the WRAP training system, we can invite Cave City and Glasgow police departments to help with their training and situational awareness they may encounter.”
In addition, the department plans to seek traffic-monitoring equipment known as Traffic Logix signs. These speed-display signs can display the speed a car is going as well as warning phrases such as “Slow Down”. They are also made to collect data on vehicle counts and average speeds, allowing the agency to identify problem areas and determine when speeding is most likely to occur, such as during school commute times or after work hours. Having this data can help law enforcement make decisions on when and where to patrol to address speeding.
“We’re continually trying to improve our agency and the service to the community,” Keen said, adding that he believes these new technological advances will help the department in different areas and with a variety of crimes. “It will really help us as an agency to move forward, almost catapulting us into the future with these things; we’re on the right track.”
