We were dismayed this morning to read in the Washington Post that violent crime was up again, spiked by an increase in youth crime. The drop in youth crime that began during the Clinton administration was a fine thing.
This was on the heels of reading in the Winona Daily News about cuts to Lewiston's police force. Now, those cuts were caused by other financial obiligations Lewiston faces, but we're hoping that just maybe legislative relief is on its way from Washington for Lewiston and other Southern Minnesota towns. We were surprised to learn action was so quickly on its way.
Press Release: Walz votes to put more cops on the streets of southern Minnesota
(Washington, DC) - Today, as Americans recognize National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day, Rep. Tim Walz will join a bipartisan majority of his colleagues in supporting H.R. 1700, the COPS Improvement Act of 2007.
The COPS bill was originally authorized in 1994 and is designed to help local law enforcement agencies hire an additional 50,000 police officers over the next six years.
"I'm proud to support this program, which is vitally important to communities in southern Minnesota," said Rep. Walz. "Under the Republican Congress, funding for the COPS program was consistently cut back and last year, appropriations for the hiring grants were completely eliminated."
Under the COPS program, local law enforcement agencies may apply for funding to hire additional police officers or to purchase technology and equipment. Rep. Walz is a cosponsor of H.R. 1700, which authorizes $600 million a year for COPS hiring grants. It also authorizes $350 million a year for COPS
technology grants and $200 million a year for hiring community prosecutors."From 1995 to 2005, the COPS program helped local law enforcement agencies in Minnesota hire over 1400 additional officers, which led to a significant reduction in crime," noted Walz. "It is vitally important that we reauthorize and fund this grant program which will help southern Minnesota combat everything from truancy in our schools to meth in our communities."
The following information includes statistics about the COPS program's importance to Minnesota's First Congressional District and the projected benefits for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District if the program is fully funded over the next six years.
Officers and Deputies
Since 1994, 144 additional police officers and/or sheriff deputies have been hired in the 1st District of Minnesota.
If the C.O.P.S. Improvement Act of 2007 passes into law, 62 more police officers will likely be put on the beat.
Funding
Since 1994, $9,739,098 in C.O.P.S. grants have been awarded to law enforcement agencies in the 1st District of Minnesota.
If the C.O.P.S. Improvement Act of 2007 passes into law, an additional$2,971,250 will likely flow to the 1st District of Minnesota.
School Resource Officers
Since 1994, 10 additional police officers and/or sheriff deputies have been hired in the 1st District of Minnesota.
If the C.O.P.S. Improvement Act of 2007 passes into law, 4 more school resource officers will likely be put on the beat.
Technology Grants
Since 1994, $1,303,592 in C.O.P.S. grants have been awarded to law enforcement agencies in the 1st District of Minnesota to purchase technology that enables agencies to put more officers on the beat.
If the C.O.P.S. Improvement Act of 2007 passes into law, an additional $397,706 in technology grants will likely flow to the 1st District of Minnesota.
All of Minnesota's eight House members voted for the C.O.P.S. Improvement Act of 2007.
Education Week News: House Freshmen Could Be Pivotal on NCLB Renewal
In the registration required venure, Ed Week News reports that
House Freshmen Could Be Pivotal on NCLB Renewal. Naturally, the only active teacher in the U.S. House--and the one who's spouse is her district's school assessments coordinator--gets a share of the attention in the article:
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., a teacher on leave from Mankato, Minn., said his Democratic colleagues in the freshman class generally feel a “greater sense of urgency” to address issues such as the narrowing of the curriculum and an overemphasis on testing.
“Most of them came through really tough elections,” he said. “Many of them very, very much had their ear to the ground for these issues, so they seem to get it.”
Rep. Walz said he would vote against renewing the law in its current form. Among other changes, he would like to see schools be permitted to use multiple measures, including portfolios of student work, to demonstrate learning outcomes.
The article links to an interview, photo gallery, and video from the March issue of Teacher Magazine. Some incredibly cute pictures of the Walz kids.
We've been told by a reader in St. Peter that Rep. Walz is scheduled to be in St. Peter for the local food co-op's Owner Appreciation Day on Saturday. St. Peter is a lovely college town in the scenic Minnesota River Valley.
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