Pubdate: Sat, 12 Nov 2005
Source: Daily Times, The (TN)
Copyright: 2005 Horvitz Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.thedailytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1455
Author: Gerard MacCrossan

DRUG TASK FORCE MAY LOSE ITS FUNDING

The majority of law enforcement working in Kerr County are 
recognizable by their uniforms and cars. Behind the scenes, though, 
the 216th Judicial District Narcotics Task Force has operated "on the 
streets" fighting the local war on drugs since the 1980s.

The task force's future has become uncertain, however, as the federal 
grant funds that paid salaries and supported the operations will be 
unavailable after March 31. Task force commander Bill Hill said 
Thursday his unit could be eligible for a different funding source 
from the Texas Legislature, but no one knows yet if it will come to pass.

"It is probably going to mean the end of this task force as we've 
known it for 18 years," Hill said. "The governor's office is telling 
us there is going to be some other funding available, but they don't 
know for sure what the qualifications for the funding will be."

Hill said allocations of federal money for the Department of Homeland 
Security and the war on terror likely are the reasons the additional 
money previously supporting task forces isn't available. The federal 
funding for salaries currently is matched by local benefits paid by 
law enforcement agencies in Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie and Bandera 
counties, which assigned officers to the task force.

Kerrville Police Chief John Young, who serves as the task force 
director, said the end of the task force would not be welcome.

"I don't there is anyone who has a task force or has been involved in 
a task force is happy about the funding cuts we have seen," Young 
said. "We'll have to adjust. Obviously, we'll have narcotics 
enforcement in the county."

The changes, according to Young and Kerr County Sheriff Rusty 
Hierholzer, already are in the planning stages. The two top law 
enforcement officers in Kerr County both said some sort of jointly 
manned unit is likely, but the big issue of funding won't be cleared 
up until after the future grant criteria are announced. It could mean 
Kerrville and Kerr County officials will be looking for extra dollars 
in their budget.

For Young, who currently has several vacancies open at KPD, some 
budgeted money could be transferred to a task force. Hierholzer could 
face a more difficult problem if he has to ask Kerr County 
Commissioners for more money. This past summer, he narrowly avoided 
losing more personnel than he proposed during a tough budget session.

"A lot of it is going to be contingent on what the criteria is going 
to be," Young said. "We may just need to redirect or expand our 
current mission.

"I think the focus of narcotics enforcement ... should be to get the 
drugs off the streets," he said. "The focus has to be on the 
trafficking of drugs and where it is coming from -- breaking that 
chain somewhere. That is what we are going to focus to do."

Bruce Curry, 216th District Attorney, who has indicted and prosecuted 
many of the drug offenders targeted by the task force agreed and 
expressed support for a replacement unit being developed.

"I think it should be a priority to make some sort of plan. The task 
force has been invaluable over the years," he said. "The way we 
looked at it was the task force was the group of law enforcement 
agents that 'worked the streets.' The task force always prided itself 
in getting drugs off the streets in the four counties."

Curry said the task force, of which he was the first director, also 
has had some major successes including indicting 100 people in a 
single grand jury and breaking up a black tar heroin ring.

Hill said it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the task 
force in financial terms or caseload. In 2003, he said one 
methamphetamine lab was busted, but 10 labs were raided in 2004.

The organized-crime indictments in Kerr County and jailings following 
methamphetamine lab busts, he said, was successful in reducing the 
amount of the drug being produced here in recent months.

Hill said the impending reduction of available grant funds has 
resulted in some task force officers already returning to their home 
units. But the illegal drug trade won't go away and probably would 
get worse if the task force is folded.

"Cocaine and marijuana we'll always have," he said. "We'll always 
have a problem with heroin (because of long-term addicts.)

"If word gets out there's not going to be a task force working in the 
area and (dealers) don't think there is some one in plain clothes 
keeping an eye on them, I'm afraid there'll be a big increase in the 
market," Hill said.

According to Hill, the police chiefs and sheriffs in the 216th 
district are taking the subject seriously.

"Their intentions, as near as I can tell, is they will form their own 
units," he said. "Nobody's going to like it, but I think everybody 
realizes it is need."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman