The Warrenton Police Department announced earlier this week it has received a federal grant totaling $240,354. The application was approved by the Office of Justice Programs under the Rural Law Enforcement Assistance: Combating Rural Crime program. The grant, provided through the federal stimulus package, will pay the salaries of two officers for two years and allow the city to purchase one police car and two portable radios. Additional training are part of the expenses to be covered, including a session to be held in Washington, D.C. Police Chief Greg Houdyshell said the funding is a boost to his department. "It's the ability to add manpower and address problems we identified last year when we wrote this out," he remarked. The police department currently has 21 officers, Houdyshell said. He added that the new hires will focus on traffic enforcement. "More stops equal more contact," Houdyshell said. "Bad guys drive. We will find more bad guys that way because we will have more contact with people." Houdyshell said the extra manpower will help combat a significant increase in property crimes and calls for service over the past five years. He said that some of the increases may be caused by ignoring DWI and drug offenders, whose cases have remained at the same level. "The folks that are doing the property crimes are the folks who are addicted," Houdyshell said. "They have to go out and find quick money or property they can turn over for money to earn a buck for that next high or drink. Our idea was to target drug offenders and DWI offenders and put the extra men toward that." Houdyshell anticipates the funding to be received by the middle of November. Other agencies in the state that received funding through the same grant program were the Missouri State Highway Patrol ($3,471,119), Crocker ($175,791) and Ellington ($171,886). A total of $54,394,646 was awarded to 96 agencies nationwide. On a related note, aldermen unanimously approved a policy requiring city employees to wear seatbelts in personal and city-owned vehicles and an equal employment opportunity plan. Deb Jett, human resources director, stated the city didn't previously need a formal employment plan since it didn't have enough employees to meet the criteria. In an unrelated announcement, Houdyshell also informed the board Tuesday night the police department is receiving a $3,000 grant from MoDOT. He said the funding can be used on manpower and equipment.