BOARDMAN — The Boardman Police Department has completed its effort to standardize a portion of its firearms cache.

Among the items Boardman trustees addressed during a special meeting last week was approving a motion to purchase 11 new rifles that will be kept in police cruisers.

“Over the course of several years, the police department has been acquiring rifles of the same make and model so that it’s all uniform across every vehicle,” Township Administrator Jason Loree said. “This just makes it better and safer for our officers.”

The board approved $16,542 to purchase 11 Sig Sauer SIGM400 Pro .556 caliber short-barrel rifles.

Police Chief Todd Werth said the department is fully stocked now with 30 of the M4-style guns, having bought 19 last year.

Werth said his department has been working for about 25 years to standardize its arsenal, especially those stocked in police vehicles.

Over the years, the department has received military surplus equipment, but not enough to maintain uniformity.

He said the new rifles make it easier for officers to train with them, given that they all have the same sighting systems, among other features. Loree said streamlining the rifle cache also makes it easier and more affordable for the department to maintain them and purchase ammunition.

The money will come out of the police budget.

GENEROUS DONATION

At the same meeting, trustees voted to accept a surprise influx of money into the department’s coffers.

The board approved a donation of $173,516 from the estate of Ms. Doreen Parilla, who died in September at the age of 81. Loree said Ms. Parilla donated the proceeds from the sale of her home to the department.

“The township was very grateful and surprised by the gift,” Loree said.

He said the money has not yet been incorporated into any part of the township’s budget or used for anything. Loree said he will work with Werth and the township trustees over the next couple of months to determine the best use for the donation.

“We want to make sure we honor any wishes she may have had for the use of that money,” Loree said. “We will speak to her representatives to see about any specifics she may have laid out for the use of it for the police department, and if there are none, we will find a use that will leave a legacy that honors her donation.”