FEDERAL FUNDS TO FIGHT DRUGS CUT

Federal dollars used to fund the war on drugs and the treatment of
its casualties have been cut drastically for 2008, according to
DeKalb County District Attorney Mike O'Dell.

"Right now we're not sure where the funding is going to come from,"
O'Dell said. "But Sheriff [Jimmy] Harris, Fort Payne Police Chief
[David] Walker and myself are committed to keeping it going, somehow,
some way. We're going to do [our] best to make it work. We've just
come too far to throw in the towel."

In 2002, funding for Justice Assistance Grant programs nationwide was
about $2.2 billion, according to O'Dell. That has been downsized to
just under $800 million a cut of about 67 percent.

Last year, the $100,000 budget for the DeKalb County Drug Task Force
and other initiatives was funded on a 75/25 split, meaning the
federal government paid 75 percent of the necessary funding and the
remainder was paid with local funds. This year, it's a 50/50 split.

"And next year will likely be even less favorable," O'Dell said.

The majority of cuts in program budgets have occurred in money for
local task forces throughout Alabama. Currently, there are about 31
drug task forces throughout Alabama.

"I've talked with DAs and task force personnel throughout the state,
and what I'm hearing is pretty dire," he said. "About 15 task forces
may die from lack of sufficient funding. Another 10 or more may
survive this year because they have assets that can help them
struggle through. But next year, things are just looking bleak."

DeKalb County Drug Task Force Director Darrell Collins said the task
force has made a lot of accomplishments in curbing drug trafficking in DeKalb.

"We've been very effective, and I believe we've done a lot for our
communities," Collins said. "Since 2002, we've made [about] 4,000
arrests. Right now, with the way things are, we can probably survive
this year. Our biggest expenses are fuel, phone service and
equipment. But if this ends up shutting us down, it's not going to
be good for anybody. This problem is not going to just go away."

O'Dell said he did not have any immediate answers as how to finance
the necessary programs.

"Our representatives in Montgomery and Washington are very aware of
how bad the meth problem is here at home," O'Dell said. "It's bad in
rural areas across the nation. Congressmen [Robert] Aderholt and
[Bud] Kramer and senators [Jeff] Sessions and [Richard] Shelby are
acutely aware of the problem. We're hoping that they can help
convince some people what this cut will do to our efforts in fighting
the war on meth. We've made too many gains to go back to square one."

The Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which includes the JAG funding, has
made some harsh cuts, O'Dell said. In the 2007 fiscal year, the
portion of federal money funding local task forces, drug court and
treatment initiatives for drug abusers was about $520 million. This
year those funds are $170 million.

"It's a loss that is going to make a significant difference for us in
north Alabama where meth is at epidemic levels already," O'Dell said.