Tuolumne County Sheriffs Department was given the go-ahead this week to receive nearly $45,000 of Local Law Enforcement block grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance´s annual program.

The money will be used locally to purchase nine new laptop computers, plus night vision surveillance binoculars, undercover body wire equipment and satellite phones. A projector for Power Point computer presentations will also be purchased.

The county will kick in $4,379 in local matching funds. Under the tight budget conditions this year, Sheriff Dick Rogers says the grant money will allow the county law enforcement agency to obtain the needed equipment which would otherwise be unavailable to the department.