BATH -- Apparatus designed to help the Steuben County Sheriff’s department reduce narcotics and alcohol abuse in the county is expected to be paid for through private and state funding. County Sheriff Jim Allard said a donation for $23,500 from Corning Inc.’s Corning Foundation will purchase a $13,000 "TruNarc" reader, which will allow officers to safely field test narcotics within packaging. Allard said in some instances the unwrapped potency of narcotics imperils the welfare of officer conducting an investigation. The TruNarc reader provides an accurate reading of substance without opening the wrapping, Allard said. The remainder of the Corning Foundation donation will pay for a $10,500 license plate reader, which will assist deputies for their highway interdiction efforts, Allard said. In addition, state STOP DWI Funding, totaling $22,500, is expected to pay for overtime for DWI enforcement and a $12,000 driving simulator. The simulator enables the participant to feel what it’s like to drive drunk and will be used at schools during prom season, Allard said. "Community partnership such as the generosity displayed by the Corning Foundation is a vital component of our public safety strategy. The TruNarc reader reduces one hazard that exists for law enforcement in Steuben County". The funds have approved by the county Legislature’s Public Safety and Corrections and Finance committees and are expected to be authorized by the county Legislature when it meets at 10 a.m. Monday (Jan. 22).
