Fortuna cops get stimulated

Feds allocate $350k to help hire staff, upgrade equipment

Humboldt Sentinel staff
10/1/09

Fortuna

The needs of rural law enforcement are apparently a part of the economy deserving of stimulation.

As part of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the “stimulus bill” pushed through Congress by the Obama Administration this last spring, a program targeting rural areas has awarded $350,000 to the Fortuna Police Department. This funding will be used to hire two additional staff members, create an Investigations Department and provide upgrades to departmental equipment.

“Rural areas of our district need as much, if not more help from the stimulus act,” Congressman Mike Thompson stated in a press release. “When I voted for recovery funding for our country, it was for projects like this that will create and preserve jobs while improving our communities.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a comprehensive economic recovery package designed to jumpstart the economy, provide tax benefits for families and small businesses, and invest in infrastructure and innovation, according to Thompson spokesperson Laurel Brown. Developed with the Obama Administration, this package will create an estimated 3.5 million new jobs, give 95 percent of working families an immediate tax cut, shore up the nation’s aging infrastructure and help our country shift to green energy technology, claim its authors.

“The community is pleased to be awarded this grant,” said Fortuna city manager Duane Rigge. “It will help us to provide services to the community that are much needed, including the current back log of cases the department has accumulated. This is something that will serve our community well and provide the level of safety for our citizens that we would like them to enjoy.”

To track the stimulus spending in your community, visit www.recovery.gov.