Boynton Beach staff seek federal and state grants to bolster police response and evidence processing

City staff told the Boynton Beach City Commission on Tuesday that they are pursuing two public‑safety grants intended to boost police capacity and incident response.

Staff described a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Community‑Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative application that would provide roughly $350,000 to offset overtime costs and help the police department process ballistics evidence more efficiently. Separately, staff outlined a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Protect Safe Neighborhoods grant for about $200,000 to outfit the police department’s mobile command center with communications and incident‑management technology.

The grants would be used to cover overtime and equipment that staff said would otherwise come from already budgeted items. Staff sought ratification of the BJA application and authorization to apply for the FDLE grant, with the mayor authorized to accept and execute grant documents subject to city‑attorney review.

Staff emphasized these are applications, not awarded funds. No formal vote record appears in the transcript; commissioners heard the proposals and the commission signaled support for staff to move forward.

What’s next: staff will proceed with application and, if awarded, return to the commission with final acceptance documents and any required interfund accounting.