Pubdate: Mon, 09 Feb 2004
Source: Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)
Copyright: 2004 Columbia Daily Tribune
Contact:  http://www.showmenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/91
Author: Josh Flory
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

SHERIFFS CRITICIZE DRUG PLAN

Law Officers Say Holden Slow To Respond To Meth Problem.

More than half of Missouri's sheriffs have signed a letter criticizing Gov. 
Bob Holden's stance on battling the state's methamphetamine problem.

The letter was distributed by Shannon County Sheriff Butter Reeves and 
signed by 61 of his colleagues, including more than 25 Democrats.

The letter cites a recent anti-meth proposal unveiled by Holden, who is 
running for re-election. Many law enforcement officials, it said, are 
"puzzled as to where the Governor has been the last few years when Sheriff 
departments and regional drug task forces were on the front lines battling 
this horrific problem plaguing our state."

Last month, Holden created two new task forces focusing on the prevention 
of meth use and treatment for meth users. He also announced an April summit 
to allow those task forces and an existing task force to meet and discuss 
the problem.

Reeves said this morning that he gathered the signatures last week at the 
midwinter meeting of the Missouri Sheriffs' Association. His main complaint 
centers on Holden's veto of a bill last year that would have allowed 
counties to create a "crime-reduction fund" to battle narcotics. That bill 
would have allowed judges to order payments by defendants to the fund.

Reeves said that of the two deputies in his county, one is paid for with 
federal money obtained by U.S. Sen. Kit Bond. "This crime reduction fund 
bill, if we had that in my county . it would be a tremendous benefit to us 
because I could probably hire another deputy, perhaps two deputies," he said.

In his veto letter, Holden said the funding mechanism set up in the bill 
was unconstitutional, citing a provision which dictates that "all 
penalties, forfeitures and fines collected . for any breach of the penal 
laws of the state" should go to public schools.

Roy Temple, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, said Holden offered 
to include the bill in a special session but that the sheriffs tried 
instead to override his veto.

Temple said the letter is politically motivated, alleging that sheriffs who 
signed it might be motivated by a fear of losing out on the federal money 
obtained by Bond.

Mary Still, a spokesman for Holden, pointed out that he signed a law last 
year that limits access to the precursor ingredients of methamphetamine.

"This shouldn't be considered a Republican or a Democratic issue," she 
said. "This is good law enforcement and we all need to be working together."

John Page, a Democrat who is Sheriff of Camden County, said enforcement of 
anti-drug laws must be the top priority for the state.

"The other issues of training and education and treatment needs to be 
behind that," he said. "That's my concern. And I think it's a concern of a 
lot of other people."

Boone County Sheriff Ted Boehm did not sign the letter and said he was 
unaware of it.

The letter praised Bond for garnering federal money for the Missouri 
Sheriffs' Methamphetamine Relief Team, or MOSMART. Rob Ostrander, a 
spokesman for Bond, said Reeves alerted Bond about the letter, but that 
Bond's office was not involved in writing it.

Meth could become a political issue in the upcoming months, particularly 
because Bond and Holden are both locked in re-election battles.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom