HUNTINGTON -- Ever since Skip Holbrook was sworn in as Huntington's police chief in June 2007, he has preached that his department must have strong ties to the people it serves.

The community apparently feels the same way. Over the past 10 months, it has donated almost $200,000 to the Police Department.

"Not long after I was appointed, I had people come up to me and say 'How can I help the Police Department financially and be assured the money goes to the Police Department?' " Holbrook said. "I think that speaks volumes about our community's commitment to its Police Department."

The private funds are a welcome boost for a cash-strapped department that has suffered from staffing cuts for several years. The department has slowly rebounded from 16 layoffs in 2002 that reduced staffing to 75 officers. The department now has 94 officers. But the city budget has rarely been able to afford purchases such as new vehicles or technological upgrades.

Private donations have come in various amounts and from a range of sources. Businesses also have played a key role. Clear Channel Communications and Eagle Distributing, for example, raised and donated approximately $30,000 in July for two new police motorcycles. Kroger and Milk-Bone contributed $5,000 in September to buy the department a canine. It was the second canine purchased with private funds this year.

Private-sector funding for law enforcement is fairly common in larger cities, but it's a new concept for Huntington, Holbrook said. He began meeting last year with people who wanted to help. The decision was made to set up a Police Department fund through the City of Huntington Foundation, a nonprofit organization based out of City Hall.

The Police Department must send written proposals to the City of Huntington Foundation any time it wants to dip into the fund to purchase a piece of equipment. A committee under the foundation reviews each proposal before the purchase is made.

"It's a very efficient process," Holbrook said. "It provides a third-party system of checks and balances that makes sure we are being good stewards with the money."

The driving force behind the fundraising efforts has been a citizen-based group called Supporting Technology for Our Protection, or STOP. Holbrook said the group has played a critical role in raising awareness about the Police Department fund and encouraging community members to contribute.

The Police Department has purchased a S.W.A.T./drug raid van, training van, canine vehicle, alternate light sources for crime scenes, patrol rifles and two nonlethal bean-bag guns with the money STOP has helped raise.

But just as STOP's name indicates, a large chunk of the money it solicits goes toward technology-based initiatives at the Police Department. For example, Holbrook wants a laptop computer assigned to every member of the Police Department. That will soon happen, thanks to a countywide law enforcement grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and private funding.

The Huntington Police Department is getting $187,000 through the grant to purchase 37 laptops and mounting equipment so officers can use them in their police cruisers. The department will receive an additional $60,000 through STOP to purchase more laptops. The new laptop purchases will be combined with the department's existing inventory.

"My top priority has been moving this department into modern times with technology," Holbrook said. "I'm not kidding when I say we were 20 years behind the technology curve.

"Having an in-car computer allows our officers to communicate covertly rather than broadcasting their every move over the radio. We all know criminals monitor the police scanner."

The Police Department also can use private funds as leverage to obtain state and federal grants that require a local match, Holbrook said.

"What I've found is that, historically, the Huntington Police Department has missed out on scores of grant opportunities because it didn't have the $10,000 or $20,000 required for matching funds," he said. "This will only continue if we don't have matching funds. No one gets a free lunch anymore."

The surge in private donations is a product of Holbrook's willingness to foster a tight bond between the Police Department and the community as well as residents growing tired of crime problems in Huntington, said Dr. Joseph B. Touma, a STOP committee member.

"Before Skip, you didn't see the communication between the Police Department and the community at the level it is now," he said. "The other factor is that people are at the breaking point with crime. Losing the war on drugs is not an option."

Touma said his only concern about private funding for law enforcement is that city officials will take money from the Police Department's budget and direct it toward other needs.

"We're here to subsidize, not substitute," he said. "We still expect the city to fully fund the police force. If that doesn't happen, we will dissolve the private fund."

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Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook speaks Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008, during an interview with The Herald-Dispatch.

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