ALBANY COUNTY — This week, the state announced $10.5 million has been awarded through the federal State Homeland Security Program to increase the preparedness and response capabilities of 80 cities, towns, villages, and counties statewide.

Albany County is receiving a total of $344,396 in three different categories:

— $171,750 in the 2023 funding cycle and $62,646 in the 2024 funding cycle for the Hazardous Materials Targeted Grant Program, which serves as a resource for 18 regional HazMat Teams, outside of New York City, to help New Yorkers respond to and recover from acts of terrorism and other emergencies.

Regions can use this funding to obtain and maintain essential equipment, implement the HazMat Team Accreditation Program, conduct training and exercises, and develop and update HazMat response plans;

— $50,000 for the Cybersecurity Grant Program, which provides funding support for eligible municipalities to enhance their ability to protect, detect, identify, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.

Funding may be used to reduce capability gaps that have been identified through risk assessment via equipment, training, planning, and exercise costs; and 

— $60,000 for the Explosive Detection Canine Team Grant Program, which provides local law-enforcement agencies with active road patrols aid to develop and enhance the use of dogs to detect explosives.

“Explosive Detection Canine Teams provide a visible, proactive police presence in areas of mass gathering, transportation centers and critical infrastructure sites,” the governor’s office said in a release. “In addition to this deterrence presence they provide a mobile response capability for detection and identification of potential explosive device type incidents.”

The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services manages the funding available through seven targeted federal grant programs.

“These strategic investments are essential for county governments to prevent, detect and respond to evolving threats at mass gatherings, in our digital systems, and across critical infrastructure so we can better protect New Yorkers,” Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties Stephen J. Acquario  in the release.

“This $10.5 million federal investment to enhance homeland security programs will ensure more local governments can improve critical infrastructure to keep our communities safe,” said Senator Chuck Schumer in the release. “It’s more important than ever to ensure our communities have the resources they need to ensure they are prepared to respond to any dangerous situation, from terror threats to toxic fires to cybersecurity.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer