BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Bellingham Police Department (BPD) is receiving grant money for expanding its bike patrol and equipment.

U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman announced the nearly $2.6 million in Byrne Grant funding that is going to about 13 law enforcement agencies.

Bellingham will see a chunk of that, receiving over $40,000.

BPD spokesperson Megan Peters says that the funds will go to adding bicycle officers to their Bicycle Response Team (BRT) as well as buying de-escalation equipment.

According to Peters, the BRT is different from the Bicycle Unit that the city funded for next year. BRT handles special events that have large crowds like Ski to Sea.

A notable goal of the funds is to make sure all BPD officers have ballistic vests. The funds will allow the department to purchase four additional bikes and any gear needed to expand the BRT by four positions.