09.09.14

Hoeven: DOJ Grants $300,000 to Grand Forks for Domestic Violence Support

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women has awarded $300,000 to the City of Grand Forks for a program to encourage arrest policies and help with the enforcement of protection orders for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse. The program will enhance the safety of victims by helping criminal justice agencies and victim services organizations collaborate.

“Domestic violence and sexual assault are serious crimes and it is important law enforcement officials have the resources to deal with these types of crimes,” Hoeven said. “This grant will help Grand Forks handle sexual assault cases and will also help raise community support and awareness for victims.”

Senator Hoeven held a roundtable discussion in Williston earlier this month in a push to bring additional resources from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into North Dakota to help state and local law enforcement officials with the growing number of crimes, including domestic and sexual violence, particularly in the Bakken region. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Hoeven serves, passed the Commerce, Justice and Science funding bill earlier this summer, which includes a directive to the DOJ to develop a plan to support law enforcement in North Dakota and the Bakken.