BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CUMBERLAND — Having traveled to Washington D.C. to witness the State of the Union address earlier this year, Mayor Daniel McKee and Congressman Patrick Kennedy appeared together in public for a second time on Tuesday, announcing the procurement of federal funds that they say will allow the Cumberland Police Department to make important technological improvements to their department’s equipment.

At a press conference in front of the police department’s Diamond Hill Road headquarters on Tuesday morning, Kennedy presented Police Chief John Desmarais with an oversized appropriations check for $188,000, which Desmarais said would be used to purchase communications and surveillance equipment that would bolster the department’s ability to maintain consistent communication in emergencies and monitor criminal activity.
The money was one of many appropriations requests approved by congress late last year and passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in December, according to a staffer in Kennedy’s office.
That staffer, Robin Costello, said the act addressed several requests from senators and congressmen, including Rhode Island’s entire legislative contingent.
Kennedy said he made requests for this and other appropriations after consulting with local officials throughout his district about their needs and legislation pending in congress that he thought may address those needs.
“We’re trying to get money any way we can,” Kennedy said. “Wherever we can reduce the burden on the taxpayers, the truth is we (want to) do it.”
“This is a big amount of money,” McKee enthused. “I don’t think people fully appreciate how influential Patrick is. He’s earned it. The congressman is a hard worker.”
According to Chief Desmarais, the funds obtained by Kennedy will be used to upgrade the department’s computer system, purchase additional surveillance cameras, and give the department a new communications system that he said would be the first of its kind in the state.
The new microwave-based system, he said, would be installed once his department submits necessary paperwork to the Department of Justice, who administer the funds for it. Once the system is in place- which Desmarais estimated could happen in a matter of months- the department would have a much more reliable system, which the chief said would provide more consistent signal throughout various parts of town and be less vulnerable than the current system.
“A lot of times when we have a thunderstorm, the lightning strikes the cell towers,” Desmarais explained. “But in the (new system), we wouldn’t have to worry about that. We’re going to make sure we have total town coverage.”
According to Kennedy, the funding for these improvements comes in the form of an earmark he secured in his role on the House of Representatives’ Commerce Justice and Science Subcommittee. And while the practice of earmarks in federal legislation has drawn criticism for allegedly allowing wasteful spending without scrutiny- the most famous examples being a teapot museum and what critics call a “bridge to nowhere”- Kennedy said he stood behind the practice, and particularly the earmarks he had procured, which he said served worthy causes.
“I’m proud of all the earmarks that I get,” Kennedy said. “I’m a big proponent of earmarks. A good member of congress knows what their district’s needs are.”
Kennedy said he felt looking after local needs while in Washington was especially crucial given the state’s current financial crisis. He added that he felt this would be easier with a Democratic president in office, as President Bush had vetoed many bills containing appropriations needed by states in the last few years.
“Clearly, the budget crisis at the state level is unprecedented,” Kennedy said. “And we are doing everything we can to help with it at the federal level. That’s why this election is so important.”