City of LaPorte, River Forest schools land federal public safety funds

U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, is applauding the city of LaPorte and a Hobart school district for successfully securing federal funds to improve public safety in their communities.

The three-term congressman said the U.S. Department of Justice is providing LaPorte $500,000 from the COPS Hiring Program to add four police officers to its force, while the River Forest Community School Corp. is getting $343,068 from the COPS School Violence Prevention Program to fund security programs and technology at its four schools in Hobart and Lake Station.

"Congratulations to all of the leaders with the city of LaPorte and River Forest Community School Corporation on securing these vital federal funds," Mrvan said.

"As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for the value of these programs to ensure that law enforcement agencies and schools throughout Northwest Indiana have the resources they need to keep our communities safe."

Mrvan's 1st Congressional District currently contains all of Lake, Porter and northwest LaPorte counties, including most of the city of LaPorte.

Though the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly is considering changing the district's boundaries, in the hope of replacing Mrvan with a Republican in next year's U.S. House elections, by moving most of Valparaiso and northern Porter and LaPorte counties into the 2nd Congressional District, and tying Lake County to all or part of nine mostly rural counties to the south and east, almost to Ohio.Despite the proposed changes, Republican LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody said he's grateful for Mrvan's support of his community in Washington, D.C.

"The city of LaPorte is pleased to receive this COPS grant award. Public safety is our number one obligation to our citizens. I want to express my appreciation for our Police Chief Matt Drangmeister for his leadership on this, thinking outside the box to meet the needs of the department," Dermody said.

Kevin Trezak, superintendent of River Forest Community School Corp., also credited his team "for the incredible, time-consuming efforts" needed to obtain the federal grant.

"At the top of this list is Director of Technology Michelle Wories and Chief Financial Officer Samantha Berrier for efforts not only in helping to secure an award from this round of grants, but for the hours of work put in towards our competitive but unsuccessful effort in 2024. Ultimately, the winners are our students, staff and community. The $343,068 award is life-changing for a small school corporation," Trezak said.