Klobuchar, Franken, Nolan Announce Over $100,000 in COPS Grant Funding for Pike Bay
Press Release
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken along with Representative Rick Nolan announced $108,803 in Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant funding for Pike Bay. The COPS program has put over 100,000 cops on the beat since 1994. Klobuchar and Franken have introduced the COPS Improvement Act of 2014 to reauthorize funding for the COPS program to strengthen support for local enforcement and put more cops on the street to fight crime.
"As chief prosecutor for Minnesota's largest county, I saw firsthand what a difference it makes when local communities have the proper police resources to ensure public safety," Klobuchar said. "This valuable support will help Pike Bay put more officers on the street and prevent crime."
"All across Minnesota, law enforcement officers are dedicated to keeping our communities safe," Franken said. "This new COPS grant will give officers in Pike Bay more support to serve and protect their community."
"The COPS program helps keep our communities safe by bringing in more officers -- including veterans -- and promoting training targeted at the specific needs of the area," Nolan said. "This grant will ensure that law enforcement in Pike Lake receive the support and training they need to best serve their community."
The COPS program awards grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States so they can hire and train law enforcement officers to participate in community policing and develop and test new and innovative policing strategies.
Klobuchar and Franken introduced the COPS Improvement Act of 2014 in April. The legislation would provide vital support to local law enforcement by authorizing the COPS program through 2019, and establishing the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services as a distinct office within the Department of Justice. Specifically, the COPS Improvement Act of 2014 would fund grants to:
Meet emerging law enforcement needs
Hire veterans to serve as career law enforcement officers for deployment in community-oriented policing
Hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools
Establish and implement innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, and use
Pay for additional community prosecuting programs to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities
Develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training
The COPS Improvement Act of 2014 is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major County Sheriffs' Association, the National Sheriff's Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association. Additional cosponsors include Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bob Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Chris Coons (D-DE).
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