WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, welcomed a $13.5 million investment to retain or hire 112 Ohio law enforcement officers to serve 13 communities and law enforcement agencies across Ohio, including Youngstown, Austintown and Lake Milton.

The investments come from the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Police Services hiring program, which focuses on hiring entry-level career law enforcement officers to create and preserve jobs, as well as increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

“We fought for these much-needed investments to ensure that law enforcement across the state can keep their communities safe,” Brown said.

“This will enable Ohio communities to hire, retain and train dedicated officers to prevent crime and protect Ohioans.”

Three Mahoning County communities received funding through the investment: $1,612,170 to the city of Youngstown to hire 15 law enforcement officers; $750,000 to the Austintown Township Police Department to retain six law enforcement officers and $125,000 to Milton Township to hire one law enforcement officer.