Trail Creek council authorizes Huntress cybersecurity contract and clears surplus police IT equipment

Trail Creek’s council on Feb. 17 authorized staff to finalize cybersecurity protections for police laptops and approved disposal of outdated computer equipment.

Police representatives explained the town must meet LaPorte County connectivity requirements to the 9‑1‑1 network and asked council to authorize entry into a Huntress (doing business as Solis) contract. The council approved a motion authorizing the council president to sign the corrected Huntress agreement after the vendor changes the contracting party to the town; the contract price in the discussion was $22.10 per month per device for four laptops (about $240 per year). The attorney asked that the contract be returned for signature after attorney review, and council granted authorization accordingly.

The department also asked to declare older desktops and monitors surplus (hard drives removed for data security) and dispose of them; the council voted to declare the equipment surplus of no value and authorize disposal.

Staff additionally requested authority to accept CrowdStrike (an endpoint detection and response product) if the state Office of Technology (IoT) provides it at no cost. Council approved giving the president authority to sign a no‑fee CrowdStrike agreement, pending attorney approval; members noted past high‑profile update issues with endpoint software and asked staff to proceed cautiously.

Council members stressed the steps were required by county policy for secure connections to 9‑1‑1 and noted that if CrowdStrike incurs a fee the council will be asked to approve any cost before binding the town.