LAGRANGE – Police in the Town of Lagrange will be better prepared if the worst should happen after the town board approved the purchase of $36-thousand dollars worth of new gear.

With society changing, Marshal Rich Snyder said his department needs to think more tactically. His first request was to upgrade each officer’s handgun to a Glock 45 with integrated red dot sights.

"The best part about this is if you're tactical as a law enforcement officer you can't have one of those that have an on-off button, or where you've got to adjust it, or like 'I work days today. I've got to adjust the brightness.' This is an auto-on. It's on all the time and goes to sleep like a little computer. When you pull it up it comes on and auto adjusts to the light that it has. That's a pricey little tool."

Each handgun and sight would cost $1,018.00.

Officers also have an AR-15 rifle. Snyder wants to keep the AR-15’s and also equip officers with a new 9 millimeter rifle more suited to a town environment.

"So I don't have to worry about in town and you've got apartments, houses, and people that are so close. That's the weapon we need in town. Faster for us to pull up, less chances of that round getting out of the house or through another room into another room. The best part about this is they carry the same magazines as our Glock. It's a good purpose and a tactical reason to have it. Society is changing. I'm just trying to get on top of it so that we have the right tools for our guys if it has to happen."

Each new rifle with red dot sight is $860.00.

The board also authorized the purchase of refurbished portable two-way radios for each officer at $2,620 a piece, and two portable radar speed indication signs at $3,448 each.

Snyder reported the department received two new radars for its participation in Operation Pullover at no cost to the town.