Hamden police have a new high-tech surveillance vehicle to help them catch drug dealers and other criminals in the act.

The vehicle, purchased for $24,000, has been outfitted with more than $100,000 in surveillance equipment.

Most of the money used to buy and install the equipment, some $90,000, came from the town, largely from assets seized in drug busts, says Deputy Police Chief Steve Cahill.

A federal block grant provided another $10,000 for surveillance equipment, and the rest was donated. Cahill, who served on the Statewide Narcotics Task Force in the mid-80s, says, "I realized as a narcotics officer how important this kind of technology is. There¹s no evidence as convincing as a video or photo of a drug deal."