Tester Delivers New Police Cruisers for Plains

Senator Secures Resources to Protect Montanans, Support Law Enforcement, Save Taxpayer Money

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester is delivering resources to help the Plains Police Department purchase two new, fully-outfitted police cruisers.

The cruisers will replace two older models that have outlived their use.

Tester was the only member of Montana’s delegation to vote for the bipartisan agreement that made the investment possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. The Town of Plains will receive a $50,000 grant and a $30,000 loan to purchase the new vehicles.

“These vehicles will go a long way toward keeping families and police officers in Plains safer,” said Tester, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “These new cruisers will help our law enforcement officers keep the peace in Plains and Sanders County, and they will ultimately save taxpayer dollars on costly repairs.”

The two new vehicles will help the Plains Police Department better respond to emergency situations by speeding up response times and increasing patrol availability.

“On behalf of the residents of the Town of Plains, I wish to express our appreciation for this grant and loan,” said Plains Mayor Dan Rowan. “I would also add that it is gratifying to see that rural communities from the State of Montana haven’t been forgotten at the federal level by our elected officials and that they have some understanding of the difficulties facing small town America.”

Tester has recently secured other public safety resources for communities around Montana, such as funding through the LEO Reimbursement Program and funding for new police cruisers in Libby. Tester also recently introduced the ANTI Drugs Act to give local law enforcement officers the resources they need to keep Montana’s communities safe.