New Chicago, Cedar Lake Receive Grants to Hire Police

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky announced today that the towns of New Chicago and Cedar Lake have received grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to pay four full-time police officers over a three-year period.  New Chicago will receive $214,263 to hire three officers, and Cedar Lake will get $75,000 to hire one, for a total of $289,263.

Visclosky has worked hard for nearly a decade to secure federal funds for hiring more police officers in Northwest Indiana.  Including these two Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants, Visclosky has secured more than $14 million in federal funding since 1994 to put 242 new police officers on the streets in Northwest Indiana.  In all, 21 police departments in Lake and Porter counties have received funding from this program.

“It’s a simple equation: More police officers equal less crime,” Visclosky said.  “This funding will give New Chicago and Cedar Lake additional help in keeping their citizens safe from criminals.”

Visclosky has staunchly supported Northwest Indiana law enforcement agencies and has worked hard to get them millions of dollars in federal funding.  Working with Senator Richard Lugar, Visclosky has secured more than $18 million for the Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which has resulted in the seizure of substantial amounts of illegal drugs and drug money, as well as approximately 2,100 arrests.

Additionally, Visclosky has secured $3 million in federal funding for in-school and after-school drug-prevention programs, as well as funding for an AFIS to be shared among several Northwest Indiana jurisdictions.  This technology will allow local departments to enter fingerprints into a digital system that instantly checks the prints against state and FBI records.  The system allows immediate checks for aliases and the entire criminal histories of lawbreakers in custody.

“Fighting crime is one of the most important issues for Northwest Indiana residents,” Visclosky said.  “I will continue to work hard to give our police officers the tools they need to keep our communities safe from lawbreakers.”