Smaller police agencies across the country, including right here in Nevada, could soon have access to more funding.
The Senate recently passed the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act.
If signed into law, would provide over $250-million over the next five years to support departments with less than 200 officers.
Here in northern Nevada - that includes the Sparks Police Department and agencies in some of our rural communities.
The grant money could help with investing in training, equipment, mental health support, recruitment and retention.
“It's hard to retain law enforcement officers because sometimes they don't have the budget to afford to keep individuals based on budgets and salaries that they compete with in urban areas,” says Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, (D) Nevada.
Senator Cortez Masto was one of the two senators to introduce the bill.
According to her office, over 90% of all police departments across the country have fewer than 200 full-time officers.
