Florence, WI -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today praised the federally-funded Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program for giving Wisconsin's police and sheriffs' departments vitally needed funds to fight crime in Wisconsin's communities, and for giving local law enforcement the flexibility to decide how those funds can be used most effectively.

"COPS has been an invaluable crime-fighting resource for our state," Feingold said. "The COPS program gives individual police and sheriffs' departments discretion over how funds are used, because the entire program is based on the assumption that local enforcement knows best what problems their communities face and the places they need help most."

The COPS Program has provided close to $70 million in grant money to local Wisconsin police and sheriff's departments, the equivalent of funding to hire more than 1,100 new police officers. The COPS Program has funded more than four new officers in Florence County. COPS has also funded the equivalent of more than 10 new officers in Forest County.

"As we have seen in Wisconsin and across the country, community policing truly does make a difference, especially when, as in so many cities and towns across our state, COPS funds are targeted at specific problems," Feingold said. "The program offers innovative community policing grants to combat domestic violence, fight the increased use of methamphetamine, and work against gangs."

Though the COPS Program is slated to end this year, an amendment Feingold cosponsored in July would preserve the COPS program through fiscal year 2000 to provide funds to hire more than 1,500 more police officers nationwide. "I was proud to support this amendment and to keep the COPS program alive," Feingold said. "The COPS program offers vitally needed support to local law enforcement, and now it can keep working for Wisconsin communities into the next century."

Feingold's 53rd Listening Session of 1999, and the 485th since he was first elected in 1992, was held at the Florence Natural Resources Center, beginning at 8 a.m. Feingold's 54th session of 1999, and 486th since he was first elected, was held at the Blackwell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center beginning at 10:30 a.m. Feingold renewed his pledge to hold sessions in all of the state's 72 counties every year after keeping his promise to do so during his last term.