Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 2016
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2016 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Richard Lerner
Note: Richard Lerner is a Farmington Hills City Council member.

DRUG TASK FORCES THAT LOSE MONEY WILL LOSE TEETH

The administration has opined that our country incarcerates too many 
people for nonviolent drug offenses. It recently decided to address 
that problem. However, the only people who are going to be happy 
about the solution are drug dealers.

In December, the federal government quietly cut almost half of the 
funding for Drug Enforcement Agency task forces across the country. 
Police chiefs across the country received a letter from the 
Department of Justice entitled "Deferral of Department of Justice 
Equitable Sharing Payments." It explained that drug forfeiture funds, 
which local agencies receive for working with DEA, would be 
"deferred" until further notice. DOJ referred to this as a $1.2 
billion "rescission" needed to balance its budget.

Here's why this should concern you. Drug problems, especially 
high-level dealers, are a regional problem. In southeast Michigan, 
local police officers make up 47 percent of the total Detroit DEA 
task force staff. Nationally, the number is about 45 percent.

Until now, drug forfeiture funds - which are seized during arrest - 
have been shared with local communities (proportionally, based on the 
resources they provided). This helps support the personnel costs.

Local police department personnel are critical to the DEA law 
enforcement efforts.

Local police officers are deputized as federal agents, so they have 
authority across city borders and outside their jurisdiction.

Local police agencies sharing resources with drug task forces means 
better results and reduced crime in our region.

Local police agencies gain access to data and intelligence 
information necessary to take down drug cartels.

The DEA task force helps investigate drug dealers throughout the 
tri-county area and beyond.

Municipal police personnel receive valuable training and experience 
which they bring back to their departments.

Federal agents on the task force have equipment and police authority 
that local municipalities do not.

Local municipalities wouldn't have the staff or resources to deal 
with high-level drug dealers by themselves.

DEA has expertise and resources that help solve major cases in the 
region including drug-related homicides.

The return of forfeiture funds to local communities is only fair 
since considerable local tax dollars fund the salaries of local 
officers participating in federal task forces.

My city, Farmington Hills, has a population of more than 80,000. Our 
police department has three full-time officers assigned to DEA task 
forces The Oakland County Sheriff, and most of our neighboring 
communities also have personnel assigned to the task forces.

Drug forfeiture funds allow us to purchase things like a Police K-9, 
NARCAN which has saved several heroin overdose victims, and bring 
educational to the community. We have purchased bullet-proof vests 
and even specially equipped police vehicles. This does more than 
offset the costs associated with devoting staff to federal task 
forces. It helps make our community safe. It reduces drug crimes, and 
other crime categories frequently linked to drug use.

If this money grab isn't reversed, the effectiveness of drug 
investigations would diminish drastically. Cutting funding for half 
of the DEA personnel does not in any way reduce the drug problem. It 
only reduces the manpower available to enforce the existing laws and 
make arrests.

Drugs are a regional problem. Drug dealers are opportunistic 
predators. They don't read demographics or care about issues of 
income or diversity. For the moment, most local municipalities with 
resources dedicated to local DEA Task Forces are staying put. 
However, if the equitable sharing of Drug Forfeiture Funds is not 
restored, it's just a matter of time before cities and townships 
begin to pull back personnel. Balancing the DOJ budget on the backs 
of local municipalities who are fighting the war on drugs every day 
is not the answer.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom