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| For
Immediate Release Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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FOR MORE INFORMATION: Stephanie Valencia (Salazar) – (202)
494-8791 |
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WASHINGTON, DC – Rural law enforcement agencies face a difficult challenge in receiving up-to-date training, with tight budgets and small staffs frequently forcing a choice between training opportunities and keeping officers on the street. To support rural and tribal law enforcement agencies in their duties, today, United States Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) along with 17 of their colleagues sent a letter to Senate Appropriators urging them to provide $5 million in funding for the Rural Policing Institute (RPI) for Fiscal Year 2009. The concept of a Rural Policing Institute was introduced and passed last year by Senators Salazar and Chambliss as a part of the “Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007”. The RPI will provide critical training to rural and tribal law enforcement agencies to address public safety issues in rural areas – specifically targeting meth trafficking and violence in rural schools and homes. “As Colorado’s former top law enforcement officer, I know how important the Rural Policing Institute will be in providing much-needed training and support for rural and tribal law enforcement agencies,” said Senator Salazar. “Rural and tribal law enforcement agencies face a different set of challenges than their urban counterparts. This funding is important for them to continue receiving cutting-edge training that is often not available due to budgetary shortfalls.” “Rural law enforcement agencies like those in Georgia often face a difficult challenge in receiving up-to-date training, with tight budgets and small staffs frequently forced to make a choice between training opportunities and keeping officers on the street,” said Senator Chambliss. “As we continue to call upon our rural law enforcement to do more, we must provide them with access to specialized training where it otherwise would not be available. I urge my colleagues to provide the funding for the Rural Policing Institute which will provide much-needed assistance to our law enforcement personnel, who work each day to keep our communities safe.” With the creation of the Rural Policing Institute as a part of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Congress authorized funding of $35 million over six years and $5 million in Fiscal Year 2009. This letter urges appropriators to fulfill that authorization in the Fiscal Year 2009 process. If funded, the RPI will assess the challenges confronting rural and tribal law enforcement agencies; develop and provide training programs specific to their needs; and conduct outreach to ensure they are aware of new training opportunities. Providing this training is especially important given the budgetary shortfalls that have forced many rural and tribal law enforcement agencies to forego vital education programs for their staff. In their letter, Senators Salazar and Chambliss express the importance of the RPI to rural America: “Law enforcement officers from communities large and small constitute the front-line of our homeland defense. Given this, it is undoubtedly in our national interest to ensure they have access to the best possible training. The RPI is in our view the necessary vehicle to provide this training to our rural and tribal law enforcement agencies.” To see a full copy of the
letter click
here.
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