Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jul 2006
Source: Times-Journal, The (Fort Payne, AL)
Copyright: 2006 Times-Journal
Contact:  http://www.times-journal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1883
Author: Kati Burns

FUNDING FOUND TO FIGHT WAR ON DRUGS

Sheriff Cecil Reed announced the county has been awarded a grant that 
will aid law enforcement officers in combating methamphetamine.

Reed was informed by District Attorney Mike O'Dell that the county 
would receive the $67,000 grant, that was part of a statewide $3 
million award to local district attorneys.

"O'Dell and I have been working on securing additional federal funds 
to assist us in beefing up our drug task force for some time now," 
Reed said. "I am very pleased that this money has finally come 
through, and that another agent can be added to the task force immediately."

According to Reed, the county received $100,000 for a methamphetamine 
emergency response vehicle about two years ago. The vehicle would 
assist agents in fighting labs in the community. The vehicle is now 
nearly completed and ready for service.

"This grant will give us another meth investigator to put on the 
streets to stop the influx of meth being transported from areas 
outside our community to our neighborhoods," Reed said.

The statewide meth grant was the work of district attorneys all over 
the state seeking to help the DTF overcome the devastating loss of 
funding caused by the reduction of the Federal Byrne Grant that funds 
task forces all across the nation. Several task forces across Alabama 
had to shut down due to the funding losses. Locally, the district 
attorney's office, Fort Payne Police Department and the sheriff's 
department, increased their local contributions to the DTF to keep it 
operational until a stopgap-funding source could be found.

Reed announced that he would be hiring another DTF agent as soon as 
possible. Craig White is scheduled to join the three current 
full-time task force investigators, bringing the total to seven 
members when part-time agents are considered.

"Craig is already lab certified and ready to hit the road running," 
Reed said. "DTF members must undergo extensive training and 
certification due to the explosive and poisonous nature of 
methamphetamine. We are very fortunate to have four full-time agents 
so qualified in a jurisdiction our size. Fighting methamphetamine is 
my number one mission, because its impact on nearly every are of 
crime in our community is obvious. This is a battle we must win, and 
we are committed to provide every ounce of energy and all the 
resources we can muster to defeat this scourge."

County officials are currently working on a legislative proposal to 
increase the $3 million awarded this year to $5 million statewide 
next year, a move that would allow for the hiring of another much 
needed agent for the county DTF.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman