Gunnar J. Bigley Scholarship Fund

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The Newton Police Department received a grant from the Gunnar J. Bigley Foundation in the amount of $25,326.

The funds will go “to support the continued expansion of our Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program," Chief of Police Daniel Finkle said.

“The grant funds will be used to outfit a new patrol vehicle with full drone capability, bringing our UAS equipment into the community more consistently than ever before,” Finkle said. 

The vehicle upgrades include a Truckvault storage system, custom storage for patrol equipment, a power inverter and a battery charging system, as well as the purchase of a drone with a thermal camera and other required accessories.

With the new funds, the department will be able to place a fully drone-equipped vehicle into regular patrol rotation so it can be out in the community, ready to get to the scene. 

“This thermal imaging drone is built for public safety applications and will allow our officers to conduct search and rescue operations, assist with crime scene documentation, enhance officer safety during high-risk incidents, and provide aerial perspectives in situations where a ground-level response alone is not sufficient,” Finkle said.

The foundation was created by the Bigley family after the tragic loss of Gunnar J. Bigley in 2021 at the young age of 19. Bigley, a 2020 Newton High School alum, dreamed of following in his grandfather’s footsteps as a police officer.

Twice a year, the Bigley family awards grants to local law enforcement agencies to help fulfill that dream in his name. They also award scholarships to a Newton High School graduate who intends to pursue a career in law enforcement.

The Gunnar J. Bigley Foundation awarded a $8,500 grant in 2025 to the Newton Police Department to expand their drone program. With the funds, the department was able to install a Truckvault on their UAS vehicle, which, according to Finkle, “transformed how quickly and efficiently we can deploy our drone.”

The grant monies given to the Mount Olive Police Department on April 2, 2024 were utilized to purchase new gym equipment for the mental and physical wellness of their officers. 

On October 13, 2024, we met with the Newton Police Department in order to learn more about their Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (drone) program. The Newton Police Department has taken the lead in forming the Sussex County Law Enforcement UAS Association. It was very exciting to watch a demonstration of the drone and to learn how their program will benefit all of Sussex County. The drone program will allow law enforcement to respond to various incidents including missing persons, search and rescue operations, traffic accidents, crime scene documentation and hazardous material assessments saving time and lives. The Gunnar J. Bigley Foundation is proud to announce that we have informed the Newton Police Department that we will be more than happy to fully fund the purchase of the Truckvault system needed in order to allow the expansion of their UAS program. Believing that Gunnar would have loved to have been involved in this program if he had been given a chance, this grant will allow Gunnar’s dream of becoming involved in law enforcement a reality and his legacy continues on.

Grants are given in March and September of each year. Click the photo above to be taken to our grant application to apply for your agency!

The Mount Olive Police Department has been chosen as the recipient for the first grant presented to a local law enforcement agency by the Gunnar J. Bigley Foundation in the amount of $2500. We presented the grant to Lt. Dave Turner at the Mount Olive Town Council Meeting on April 2, 2024. 

Grants are given in March and September of each year. Click the photo above to be taken to our grant application to apply for your agency!

The Stanhope Netcong Ambulance Corp was able to purchase brand new Prestan CPR training equipment with our help!