09.24.14

Hoeven Announces Nearly $730K in DOJ Funds to Support Law Enforcement Officers in West Fargo, Stutsman County, Tioga, Griggs County

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded four grants totaling nearly $730,000 to cities and counties in North Dakota to create new and preserve existing law enforcement officer positions to increase the communities’ policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The funds are made available through the DOJ’s COPS Hiring Program and will support the salary and benefits of six officer positions in the state. The details of the awards are as follows:

  • City of West Fargo – $375,000
  • Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office – $125,000
  • Tioga Police Department – $125,000
  • Griggs County Sheriff’s Office – $103,877

“Our local law enforcement officials play a vital and challenging role in our communities,” Hoeven said. “It is imperative that we support their important work and provide them with the tools and resources they need to meet the demands of our growing communities. By supporting additional officer positions, these funds will increase our police and sheriff’s departments’ capacity to keep our communities safe and maintain our high quality of life.”

Senator Hoeven held a roundtable discussion in Williston earlier this month in a push to bring additional resources from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into North Dakota to help state and local law enforcement officials with the growing number of crimes, including domestic and sexual violence, particularly in the Bakken region. In June, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Hoeven serves, passed the Commerce, Justice and Science funding bill, which includes a directive to the DOJ to develop a plan to support law enforcement in North Dakota and the Bakken.