{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=FC59521F-DEC8-4D8E-80E2-E641311AD145", "Heitkamp Announces Federal Funds to Support Law Enforcement in Grand Forks and West Fargo", "2016-10-04", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp announced two federal grants totaling $625,000 that will help the Grand Forks Police Department and West Fargo hire additional police officers.\r\n\u201cMaintaining a robust law enforcement presence is a critical part of making sure officers can respond at a moment\u2019s notice to keep North Dakota communities safe,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cOur peace officers face tough and increasing challenges every day \u2013 yet they continue to take the time to develop a deep relationship of trust and understanding with the neighborhoods and cities they protect. As North Dakota\u2019s former Attorney General, I saw firsthand the positive impact our officers have on their communities, that\u2019s why as a U.S. Senator for the state I\u2019m advocating for the training, equipment, and federal support they need to stay safe. The federal funding announced today will help both the Grand Forks and West Fargo police department\u2019s hire additional law enforcement officers with a priority on community policing that will keep all of North Dakota\u2019s communities protected.\u201d\r\nThese federal funds are made available through the U.S Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program Awards that assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies hire law enforcement officers to prevent crime and keep communities safe through new or continuing community policing initiatives. The federal funds are distributed as follows:\r\n \r\nGrand Forks Police Department: $500,000 in federal funding to hire four law enforcement officers.\r\n \r\n \r\nWest Fargo: $125,000 in federal funding to hire one law enforcement officer.\r\n \r\nHeitkamp, as a former North Dakota Attorney General, has a unique understanding of the COPS program\u2019s role in supporting North Dakota\u2019s law enforcement agencies and as a U.S. Senator has pushed the DOJ to appropriately fund North Dakota Law Enforcement Agencies. Recently, Heitkamp released her Strong & Safe Communities Report to address emerging challenges in North Dakota to keep our communities safe. A key pillar of her initiative is to make sure law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to fight crime and keep North Dakota strong and safe.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=FC59521F-DEC8-4D8E-80E2-E641311AD145"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0057799518108368, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}