DOLLAR-STRAPPED DRUG COURT BAILED OUT - FOR NOW

Kitsap's cities and county government have provided a financial
Band-Aid of $30,000 for the drug court, which has faced an uncertain
future since the loss of a critical federal grant in January.

Beyond those funds, however, local leaders have yet to find a
long-term solution for the court.

"We're all going to work really hard to get this money reinstated on
a permanent basis," said Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman, whose city
contributed about $4,000 of the emergency funds. "But there are no
easy answers."

Superior Court Judge Jay Roof, who has presided over the drug court
program since its inception in 1998, has appealed to all levels of
government aE" local, state and federal aE" to foot a $60,000 per
year bill for the program's compliance officer.

Drug court, an option for some nonviolent drug offenders, combines
stringent treatment with accountability: drug tests and personal
checks of a participant's home and workplace. Failure to comply with
the program spurs Roof to issue the longest jail sentence possible
for their original offense.

But without a compliance officer, the court can't ensure participants
are holding up their end of the bargain away from the courthouse.

The drug court once had a Department of Corrections officer and a
compliance officer to oversee participants. They lost the corrections
officer last year. The compliance officer, which cost $60,000, was
lost in January when a federal grant expired.

The drug court has appealed the loss of the grant. Roof has also
approached U.S. Sen. Patty Murray to bring in more federal money. On
the state level, Roof has also asked several members of the
Legislature to help provide funding, but nothing has
materialized.

But it was in Kitsap that money was found. The Kitsap Regional
Coordinating Council, including Kitsap's four cities and the county's
government, put the money together "in record time," said Poulsbo
Mayor Kathryn Quade.

"We felt if we could each pitch in, $30,000 buys us six months," said
Jan Angel, South Kitsap county commissioner. The county contributed
the bulk of the funding, with almost $20,000.

Many local officials feel strongly about the program. Not only for
the drug offenders who "graduate" and who have been weaned of drugs,
but for future costs to society in criminal activity and
incarceration.

"We save hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, with this
program," Bozeman said.

The local leaders acknowledged a permanent solution to provide
$60,000 per year hadn't yet been found. Roof said he's "cautiously
optimistic" they can find the money.

If other funding isn't found, the coordinating council could be asked
again for money when the $30,000 dries up. It's a prospect Quade
admits may be necessary.

I'm fully prepared to ask (members of the council) to step up again,"
she said. "This is something we can't afford to lose."

Chipping In

The following governments contributed temporary funds to pay for a
compliance officer for Kitsap County's drug court:

Kitsap County: $19,740

Bremerton: $3,900

Bainbridge Island: $4,410

Port Orchard: $930

Poulsbo: $1,020