Pubdate: Fri, 25 Nov 2005
Source: Janesville Gazette (WI)
Copyright: 2005 Bliss Communications, Inc
Contact: http://www.gazetteextra.com/contactus/lettertoeditor.asp
Website: http://www.gazetteextra.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1356
Author: Sid Schwartz, Gazette Staff

SLANT DRUG UNIT SLASHED BY FEDS

A cut in federal funding may force authorities to disband Rock 
County's drug enforcement unit.

"The future of the unit is dire," District Attorney David O'Leary 
said Wednesday after leaders of the unit met.

Rock County had applied for $129,250 in federal funding, but 
officials learned earlier this month that the unit will receive nothing.

The Rock County Narcotics Enforcement Team (RCNET) is made up of one 
officer each from the Rock County Sheriff's Department, Beloit Police 
Department and Janesville Police Department.

RCNET is attached to the Stateline Area Narcotics Team, which is part 
of the Illinois State Police. The three Rock County officers plus 
three Illinois State Police investigators form the six-officer SLANT 
squad headquartered in Beloit.

"Some of that federal reimbursement was going to go to the expense of 
those officers' pay," O'Leary said. "Obviously, that means they're 
going to have to come up with that additional money to the tune of 
$20,000 per department."

On top of that, the federal grant in past years covered office rent 
and utilities for the drug unit, which are projected to total $17,000 in 2006.

"The reality is that none of the departments have that in their 
budget," O'Leary said.

RCNET operates on both sides of the state line, conducting 
investigations in Rock, Green and Lafayette counties in Wisconsin and 
in Boone, Winnebago and Stephenson counties in Illinois.

"Rock County is the primary area of responsibility," reads the grant 
application.

The application indicates that crack cocaine and powder cocaine are 
the "drugs of choice" in Janesville and Beloit, and marijuana is "a 
significant drug threat" in rural communities.

Methamphetamine use and distribution in Rock County is minimal but 
may be poised to increase.

"Over the past few months, an increasing number of suspected 
incidents have been identified where non-law enforcement agencies are 
providing addiction counseling and other services to identified meth 
users," the application reads.

O'Leary agreed that with the methamphetamine threat on the horizon, 
this is not a good time to lose a drug unit.

"Methamphetamine makes crack cocaine look like candy," O'Leary said.

But Rock County is not alone in losing funding.

Among the 26 multijurisdictional drug units in Wisconsin that applied 
for a federal grant, RCNET is among 10 that are receiving zero. Most 
of the 16 units getting money are receiving no more than half of the 
funding they requested.

Together, the 26 units had requested $4.3 million in funding, but 
only $1.9 million was available for 2006.

And it's expected to get worse.

Federal funding for Wisconsin drug units in 2007 is expected to be 
cut to $800,000.

O'Leary said the advantage of RCNET and its affiliation with SLANT 
was the ability of the officers to attack the drug problem on both 
sides of the state line.

"They've been going after the suppliers, which are supplying the 
street-level dealers in each community," O'Leary said. "When we're 
tied in with Illinois State Police, they can go across the border and 
into Chicago and Rockford."

O'Leary said local authorities decided Wednesday to ask if Illinois 
State Police can help make up the funding shortfall and then meet 
again in January.

If RCNET dies, cooperation on drug enforcement will continue, O'Leary 
said, but each police department may have to resort to having its own drug unit.
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MAP posted-by: Beth