Bennet: Colorado Springs Police Department to Receive $436,119 in COPS Funding to Help Keep Local Schools Safe for Students

Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, announced today that the Colorado Springs Police Department will receive $436,119 to assist the department's efforts against child endangerment and protect communities from sexual predators.

The funding is part of $11.4 million in grants announced this week by the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) under the Child Sexual Predator Program (CSPP). Grants were awarded to 26 law enforcement agencies in 19 states.

"Our kids should benefit from a safe learning environment where educators and students can focus on teaching and learning," said Bennet. "This funding will boost local law enforcement efforts so that schools in Colorado Springs remain safe places for our kids."

CSPP is a funding initiative implemented by COPS aimed at reducing and preventing child endangerment and protecting communities from sexual predators. Launched in 2008, the program provides grants to help locate, arrest, and prosecute child sexual predators and exploiters, and enforce state sex offender registration laws.

It is also designed to collectively address this widespread problem through strong partnerships between law enforcement, U.S. Attorney's Offices and U.S. Marshals, as well as other community partners such as parole and probation offices, social services agencies, and state or local prosecutors.