Full Access to Grayshift Grant Writer, Josh King
Episode 7
Listen now for Full Access to Grayshift Grant Writer, Josh King. King came to Grayshift from the Searcy Police Department in Arkansas where he was a Police Officer for just over 11 years. King spent half of his career assigned to the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force and is now currently in Law School.
[02:10] Meet Josh King, Grant Writer, Grayshift.
- King tells listeners how he got into law enforcement and what inspired his career
- A proud graduate of the University of Arkansas, King earned his bachelor’s degree from UALR and applied to join the Searcy Police Department at the encouragement of his father
[4:14] Full Access Host, Wilton Cleveland, asks King to tell listeners about some of his assignments while working for Searcy PD.
- King recalls his first two years in the patrol division and what it was like working nightshift, participating in foot pursuits, and making arrests
- After two years on nightshift King was promoted to detective and served on the SWAT team
- King discusses his years of service on the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force and finding his niche working undercover
[7:30] King talks about what it was like finding out he and his wife were having twins and how it impacted his career choices from that point onward.
- Full Access Host, Debbie Garner, jokingly advises listeners not to go into law enforcement to get rich
- King discusses following his dream to go to law school and the 5-year plan he put in place to pursue it
- King’s chief pulled him out of narcotics and put him in charge of training to help with his work-life-school balance – but then COVID hit – so King started writing grants
[15:50] In two years as a grant writer for Searcy PD, the 60-man agency was awarded a little over $1.3 million.
- Garner asks King to discuss how he became the Grant Writer for Grayshift
- King reveals that he met Cleveland at a training function and made a connection over Searcy PD trying to find the grant money to help with purchasing a digital forensics tool
- King provides an example of a case that could’ve used a tool like GrayKey before coming to work for Grayshift
[20:00] King provides listeners with insight into his role as Grant Writer.
- King says he likes to call himself the sales’ team’s secret weapon because there isn’t a law enforcement agency in the world that would sit through a GrayKey demo and say they’re not interested – it almost always comes down to money
- King partners with agencies to help them locate and identify grants, apply for the grant, and construct narratives and budgets
[22:11] Cleveland asks King to share some tips and tricks for grant writing with listeners.
- King’s first big grant writing tip: think outside the box
- King’s second grant writing tip: don’t put all your eggs in one basket
- King’s third grant writing tip: don’t take shortcuts and don’t be afraid to ask questions
[26:18] Garner asks King to explain some of the common issues you may encounter while writing grants and hot topics you can look for to see if it fits your policing style.
- King tells listeners to look at grant writing and federal funding like the stock market; watch what’s going on politically and you can pre-game for funding
- King says the war on drugs (especially opioids and fentanyl) is always a big issue
- Police reform is another big topic King advises keeping an eye on
- King discusses how to add technology or equipment to grant topics
[29:33] How can law enforcement agencies get in touch with Josh King for grant writing assistance?
- King reiterates his job is to help solve agencies solve the funding issues they’re facing
- Law enforcement agencies can get in touch with Josh King by using this contact form and noting in the comments that you’re interested in grants and would like to speak to Josh King
- Garner notes what an excellent service this is and how helpful it can be for law enforcement to gain a better understanding of how grant writing works
[31:20] King covers additional (mental) hurdles law enforcement agencies face with grant writing.
- King doesn’t want agencies to be afraid of change or trying something new just because they don’t understand how the grant may work; grants can really supplement a lot of funding for your agency
- King reminds agencies that a lot of times, when you win one of these grants, you get the funding you need for GrayKey in addition to money and funding for other projects and training
- Cleveland notes the bottom line in all of this is keeping our communities safe by providing law enforcement with the funding they need for the training and tools they need to best serve their communities
[34:26] Garner asks King to discuss some of the requirements of some of the grants that he’s seen to help listeners better understand what they’ll be asked to provide while grant writing.
- King discusses what an audit phase is and that it’s not as scary as it sounds
- King notes the reports you may be asked to provide and how it’s usually information you’re keeping up with anyway
- King talks about the positive publicity you can get for your agency when you’re collecting stats, data, and keeping the community informed
[40:35] Garner asks King if it’s a heavy lift to help agencies write grants
- To close out the episode, King explains the process and steps of how he assists agencies with grant writing to make sure you’re submitting what the administrators are looking for
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