JANESVILLE, Wis. -- Rock County will be included as part of the Milwaukee High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area after being denied entry to the program last summer.

Being part of this program through the U.S. Department of Justice will mean Rock County law enforcement agencies will have greater resources and funding to fight back against a growing drug problem, WISC-TV reported.

After not being included last summer, the Rock County Sheriff's Office, along with Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, made a push for the Department of Justice to take a second look.

Sheriff Robert Spoden said Rock County's location between Chicago, Rockford, and Milwaukee, its increasing fatal heroin overdoses and its increased gang activity fit HIDTA's requirements.

Spoden will meet with the director of Milwaukee HIDTA Wednesday.

"We'll start talking about setting up a task force, some of the resources that we'll have available. Then, within the next week or so, we'll receive official notification, as well as dollar amounts and funding sources that will be made available to the Rock County Sheriff's Office," Spoden said.

Through the program, local law enforcement will have access to intelligence resources from the Treasury Department, Secret Service and FBI, as well as funding to pay for overtime and training.

Spoden said it's a little alarming that Rock County needs to be part of this program, but he said the bright side is that he now has the resources to address these concerns.