WILTON — The Select Board voted Tuesday to authorize a supervisory position of lieutenant for the Police Department, Town Manager Maria Greeley said Thursday.

The unanimous decision followed an executive session.

Wilton Police Chief Ethan Kyes addresses the Wilton Select Board on Tuesday about grants awarded to the Police Department. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

Police Chief Ethan Kyes said the department has gone through an interview process and Cpl. Brian Lynch will be promoted to lieutenant and officer Keith Masse will be promoted to sergeant.

The officers will be sworn in Tuesday.

The sergeant position already existed and the corporal position will not be used.

The Select Board also agreed Tuesday to accept grants awarded to the Police Department that will save taxpayers money.

The board approved the department’s share of $2,048 from a $11,297 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant. The total grant is shared by police departments in Jay, Wilton, Farmington and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Kyes said.

He said the money will be used to buy an FZ-55 Panasonic laptop for $2,560, with the department responsible for about $500. The money is already in the budget. This will give each officer a laptop, he said.

Selectpersons also accepted the 2024 Patrick Leahy Grant of $1,443.68 that allowed for purchase of two bulletproof vests for new officers.

The board also accepted a Homeland Security Grant for $9,947 to purchase three access-controlled doors for the Public Safety Building, which houses the Fire Rescue Department and Police Department. It will provide purchase for several keycards. Kyes said he will be able to activate the keycards when a person is hired and when they leave he will deactivate them.

Selectpersons also approved closing a section of Munson Road, closest to the Town Office, from 4-5 p.m. Nov. 15 to allow The Crash Lab Inc. of Hampton, New Hampshire, for visual testing. A vehicle-pedestrian crash there about 4:30 p.m. Nov. 26, 2023, claimed the life of pedestrian Levi Jewell, 29, who was dressed in dark clothing.

A police officer will be staged at each end of the closed section during the testing. The paid detail for two officers is $800 based on the minimum call-out of four hours per police officer.

The Select Board also accepted a $3,000 Maine Municipal Risk Reduction Grant from the Maine Municipal Association Property & Casualty Pool. The grant will pay for cloud storage on the internet and will switch the town to an Outlook 365 email system and pay for training, Kyes said. It will also provide for IT support. The town will pay $360 a month, but will eliminate its Gmail account to offset the cost by about $175.

It is a step in the right direction, Chairperson Tiffany Maiuri said.

The board thanked Kyes for doing the paperwork for the grants.

Keyes was approved to send requests for proposals to buy new Tasers and requests for qualifications for work to be done on the Police Department side of the Public Safety Building.