Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced that the Kewanee Police Department has received a $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to hire two additional officers to increase community policing and crime prevention efforts.
“Our local police departments, especially in our small hometowns, often work under tight budgets with limited resources,” said Sorensen. “And despite these conditions, our brave men and women in law enforcement work around the clock to keep our neighborhoods safe. I am proud to announce this funding for the Kewanee Police Department, so our local police have the tools they need to fight crime and protect our communities. I will always work to bring tax dollars back home to make sure Northwestern Illinois is safe for our neighbors.”
“We are grateful for this grant from the COPS hiring program, which will allow us to expand our community policing efforts without placing additional strain on local budgets,” said Chief Stephen Kijanowski of the Kewanee Police Department. “These funds will also help us address local violent crime and the narcotics issues facing our community, enhancing our public safety initiatives and better serving the residents of Kewanee.”
The COPS program aims to build trust between police departments and the communities they serve by allowing local police departments to hire community policing professionals, develop and test innovative policing strategies, and train local government leaders.
This past May, Sorensen led a group of 24 of his colleagues in calling on Congress to fully fund the COPS program in direct response to roundtable discussions and meetings he has hosted with law enforcement from across Central and Northwestern Illinois.