Federal law enforcement agents need to be positioned in the heart of the North Dakota oil patch to address rising crime rates, Sen. said. The state attorney general said in a July report violent crimes in the state in 2013 increased by 7.4 percent while arrests for drug-related offenses increased 19.5 percent from 2012. Hoeven, R-N.D., said FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency officials aren’t stationed permanently in Williston, the heart of the state’s oil boom, to the frustration of local law enforcement agents . “Our local law enforcement officials have the best understanding of the situation and do a good job with the tools and resources they have, but we can better address drug trafficking and other serious crimes with the active engagement and permanent presence of experienced, well equipped federal agents,” he said in a statement Wednesday. North Dakota in August received a $3 million federal grant to […]