The Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office will be unable to receive state grant funding because of its decision to keep its 287(g) cooperation agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Law enforcement agencies must be in compliance with state law in order to receive funding from state grant programs. New York State's ban on 287(g) agreements with ICE puts the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office in violation of state law after the ban went into effect Tuesday.
Sheriff Kyle Bourgault is one of 15 sheriffs suing to overturn that law. Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman announced Wednesday that Nassau County would also be joining the suit.
Among the programs now unavailable to Rensselaer County will be the Law Enforcement Technology (LETECH) Grant Program, which is currently soliciting bids for the $75 million available to purchase police technology and is popular among law enforcement agencies.
"I'm not doing this about money. This isn't about money. This isn't about getting a grant for $250,000, which is what we would be eligible for," Bourgault said at a press conference Tuesday. "This is public safety. And if it means that we're not going to be eligible for those grants, I take public safety all day."
