Republican state senators in Minnesota propose $65M police recruitment program

(St. Paul, MN) -- Senate Republicans in Minnesota are proposing bills aimed at recruiting people into law enforcement careers.

"Priority number one [is] public safety.  We will put forward proposals to provide funding for more police officers because we know more cops results in less crime," said State Senator Jeremy Miller. 

Miller joined other colleagues Thursday while rolling out the $65 million dollar C.O.P.S. program, which stands for "Creating Opportunities in Public Safety".  The proposals focus on recruitment to address peace officer shortages impacting departments around the state.  Six different bills aim to encourage young people to pursue degrees in law enforcement and to attract "nontraditional entrants" into police work.