Woodbury PD to kickoff ‘Summer of Safety’ at area parks
Woodbury. The program was made possible thanks to a $6,500 grant.
Woodbury /
| 06 Feb 2024 | 08:47
Gun locks will be handed out this summer at parks in Woodbury. (
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The Woodbury Police Department secured a $6,500 public safety grant last month that will be used this summer to educate residents about the importance of gun safety, according to Sgt. Chris Correa of the department.
“This summer, at our parks, there will be officers handing out gun locks and brochures that describe the best practices for gun safety,” Correa said. “There is not a gun safety problem in Woodbury, and we want to keep it that way.”
The grant money, secured thanks to a joint effort between Woodbury Town Councilman Brandon Calore (R) and State Sen. James Skoufis (D-42), comes with specific initiatives as to how the money can be used, Correa said.
“One was National Night Out and since we didn’t do that the next option was gun safety,” Correa said. “So, we came up with what we are calling a ‘Summer of Safety.’ This means that once our parks open come late spring, residents will see officers at booths in our parks every weekend handing out gun locks so we can proactively approach the public instead of putting the burden on them to come to us for gun locks and firearm education. This will include information on best practices in terms of housing a firearm, how to lock it, when to lock it and of course keeping kids safe.”
State Sen. Skoufis said assisting local police is vital.
“I’m always interested in identifying opportunities to better fund our local police,” Skoufis said in a statement via email. “To that end, I was thrilled to help secure a $6,500 grant for the Woodbury Police Department to support the agency’s gun safety initiatives. We must provide law enforcement with the tools and resources they need to do their jobs, and this funding will ensure local police can effectively guide our community in the safe handling and storage of firearms at home. I look forward to continuing to partner with our local police departments on efforts like this one.”
Woodbury Town Councilman Brandon Calore fully supports the effort.
“Public safety is not only the highest priority for the Woodbury Police Department, but also for the town board,” Calore said. “The way we see this, it is a homerun. It is not a Democrat or Republican issue. It is a safety issue and let’s help educate as many people as we can.”