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North Dakota bent on fighting sexual violence

State aims to protect life in the oil patch.

By Daniel J. Graeber

BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Investing in law enforcement in the Bakken region of North Dakota will help protect the quality of life accompanying the oil boom, a state senator said.

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven announced the Office of Violence Against Women in the federal Justice Department made $1.4 million in awards available to the state to high address domestic violence and sexual assault.

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The Republican senator said North Dakota has been recognized for its expanding economy brought on by the accelerated pace of growth in oil production from the Bakken and Three Forks part of the state.

"In order to maintain that quality, we need to adapt to the challenges that growth can bring," he said in a statement Monday. "That means investing in our law enforcement as well as our public and private community service providers."

The North Dakota economy is expanding faster than any other state in the union. Based on June data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, North Dakota real gross domestic product increased 9.7 percent between 2012 and 2013.

The North Dakota Attorney General said the total number of violent crimes reported in 2013 was 7.4 percent higher than the previous year.

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