Howard County will use $117,640 in federal funds to strengthen county police ability to deal with a major disaster by equipping a full backup 911 center in the Southern District police station and upgrading the county's mobile command abilities.

The county is adding $13,105 in required matching money, for that project and for a companion effort to start training people to operate a proposed drug court for the county. The drug court training effort is expected to cost $13,412.

The federal grant is more than $10,000 smaller than last year's, according to Nancy Barr, the Police Department's grants coordinator, because it is based on the county's crime rate, which has been dropping.

Most of the money - $82,640 - will go to fully equip the Southern District 911 center near Routes 29 and 216, which now would be partly functional if the main center in Ellicott City were destroyed or disabled.

The money from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Justice Department would buy a second server and other computer equipment to give the backup 911 center equal capabilities, said Tami Bull, head of research and planning for the police.

"There should be no glitches in our emergency system," Bull said.

Another $35,000 will go to upgrade the county's police/fire mobile command post, a motor home-style vehicle, and improve communications and information with individual police officers working on a major incident.