Pubdate: Thu, 07 Apr 2005
Source: News-Enterprise, The (KY)
Copyright: 2005 News-Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1663
Author: Erica Walsh
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/budget+cuts

DRUG TASK FORCE FACES ELIMINATION

With Next Year's Budget Already Reduced By $78,000, Federal Funding
Could Be Completely Erased

State and federal budget cuts cost the Greater Hardin County Narcotics
Task Force $78,000 this year.

The task force, which covers Hardin, Nelson and Grayson counties,
receives most of its money from federal grants. Now, those grants are
in danger of being cut completely or drastically reduced and the task
force is being forced to look at ways to tighten its budget.

"It hurts us," said Wayne Edwards, director of the task force. "But
it's not critical yet."

It could become critical soon.

President Bush's budget proposal for fiscal year 2006, which begins
Oct. 1, proposes eliminating Justice Assistance Grant funding
completely. If that were to happen, Edwards said the task force likely
would have to make a choice to either close its doors or ask the
counties and cities that are involved to come up with a way to fund
the program.

Edwards said he is in the process of applying for the 2005 grant.
Because of the cuts, the task force is only allowed to apply for 66
percent of its 2004 budget.

The task force received about $230,000 last year, Edwards said. With
the 66 percent limit on the application, it is facing a $78,000 cut.

If the federal grant dries up, the task force would be able to
function normally for about a year because of seized drug money,
Edwards said. Such funds are awarded to the task force by the court
system.

Edwards said so far the task force has been able to trim its budget by
about $11,000, but there's still a deficit.

Elizabethtown Police Department Chief Ruben Gardner, chairman of the
task force's board of directors, said losing the federal money would
be detrimental to local law enforcement.

"It certainly would have some impact on not only drug trafficking, but
street crimes," he said.

He added that it would be hard for smaller communities, such as those
involved, to come up with enough funding to keep the task force running.

"I don't think the task force will exist or work as it is now without
that federal money," he said.

While the task force is not responsible for every drug-related
incident in the area, it does handle most of the investigations,
Edwards said.

In 2004, it was responsible for 542 criminal investigations, 566 drug
arrests, and 300 convictions. It also uncovered 18 methamphetamine
labs and recovered about $2.5 million in illegal drugs.

Hardin County Commonwealth's Attorney spokesman Brian Walker said the
commonwealth's attorney's office had 633 felony indictments in Hardin
Circuit Court in 2004.

"We can safely say at least half of all cases we indicted were either
for drugs themselves or were related to the defendant's drug use or
habit," he said.

Most of those cases, Walker said, originated with the task force.

The task force currently includes representatives from the
Elizabethtown, Radcliff, Vine Grove and West Point police departments,
the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, the Leitchfield Police Department,
the Bardstown Police Department, the Nelson County Sheriff's Office,
Kentucky State Police and the Fort Knox Provost Marshal's Office.

Edwards said additional counties want to be involved, but again, lack
of funding prevents them from hiring additional officers.

Gardner and other board members are asking citizens to get involved in
lobbying for the grants. They want to make sure the area's
representatives and senators know how important the funding is to the
task force and the community.

"Let them know we want to continue to see this money fund the task
force," he said. "That's really all we can do."

Meanwhile, Edwards and his officers continue to fight drugs in the
community. Last week, the task force completed one of its largest
methamphetamine seizures to date in Grayson County. It seized 86 grams
of meth, worth roughly $8,600. In the past year, the task force also
uncovered about 1,146 marijuana plants worth about $1.15 million.

Losing the task force would send all drug-related cases back to
individual law enforcement agencies. While that doesn't mean drug
cases would be overlooked, it would be an additional strain for
agencies with already heavy caseloads.

"It would have a serious impact on drug enforcement," Edwards said.
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