MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Coon Rapids and Fridley Police Secure Federal Funding for Less-Lethal Weapons and Tracking Equipment

COON RAPIDS, MN (September 20, 2026). The Coon Rapids and Fridley police departments will divide nearly $27,700 in federal criminal-justice funding to purchase less-lethal weapons, GPS tracking devices and other equipment that officials say will address gaps in the departments’ patrol and investigative capabilities.

The Coon Rapids City Council approved the grant arrangement September 15, following action by the Fridley City Council on August 24. The agreement also required the participation of Anoka County, whose board approved it May 12, although the county will not receive any of the money.

The funding comes through the federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, commonly known as Byrne JAG. The program provides federal assistance to state, local and tribal governments for law enforcement, crime prevention, prosecution, courts, corrections and other criminal-justice purposes.

Coon Rapids will receive $14,552.85, while Fridley will receive $13,126.44, bringing the combined award to $27,679.29. Fridley will serve as the fiscal agent responsible for administering the grant.

Anoka County’s participation is required under U.S. Department of Justice regulations governing the allocation, even though no portion of the award is designated for the county.

Coon Rapids Police Chief Bill Steiner told the City Council that the federal program is intended to help local agencies address crime by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their criminal-justice operations.

The departments plan to use the money for equipment and supplies that were not included in their existing municipal budgets.

Coon Rapids Police Plan Launchers, Pepper-Ball Munitions and GPS Devices

The Coon Rapids Police Department plans to purchase less-lethal launchers, pepper-ball munitions, GPS tracking devices, binoculars and equipment for video and photographic documentation.

Grant materials cited an increase in property crime and narcotics-related activity as placing additional demands on the department’s patrol officers and investigators. The materials also identified insufficient launcher capacity and shortages of tracking and surveillance equipment as existing operational limitations.

The grant description did not publicly identify the manufacturers or models of the GPS devices, the circumstances under which officers would deploy them or how information collected through the equipment would be retained and governed.

Those details matter because GPS technology can serve several law-enforcement purposes. It may be used to locate stolen property, support surveillance conducted under lawful authority or help officers track vehicles while reducing the need for dangerous high-speed pursuits. The precise intended use in Coon Rapids should be established through the department’s purchasing records and operational policies.

Fridley Reports Depleted Less-Lethal Inventory

Fridley intends to use its share to replenish less-lethal munitions across signaling, marking, impact and riot-control categories. The proposed munitions will be compatible with equipment the department already uses.

Patrick Faber, deputy director of the Fridley Public Safety Department, wrote in the grant narrative that the agency’s less-lethal inventory had become depleted.

Without adequate intermediate-force options, Faber wrote, officers and members of the public could face an increased risk during dangerous encounters. The equipment is intended to give officers additional options between verbal commands and the use of deadly force.

The department said the purchases would support its use-of-force continuum during high-risk incidents and possible civil unrest.

Less-Lethal Does Not Mean Risk-Free

Law-enforcement agencies use the term “less lethal” for weapons intended to reduce the likelihood of death or serious injury compared with firearms. The category can include chemical agents, pepper-ball systems and projectiles designed to deliver blunt impact.

Such weapons can still cause serious injuries, particularly when projectiles strike the head, neck, chest or other vulnerable parts of the body. Their public-safety value therefore depends not only on the equipment purchased, but also on officer training, deployment rules, medical response requirements and supervisory review after each use.

The grant is relatively small compared with the departments’ overall budgets, but its significance lies in the equipment it will place into active police service. The purchases will expand the tactical options available to officers in Coon Rapids and replenish Fridley’s supply of intermediate-force equipment.

Further public documentation will be important once the departments select vendors and specific products. Purchase records and departmental policies should show what the GPS devices are designed to track, what authorization officers need before deploying them and how any resulting location information will be stored or deleted.

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