2009 FUNDING FOR ANTI-DRUG UNIT STUCK IN BUDGET LIMBO

While the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group will
receive federal funding this year from a program used to help support
multi-jurisdictional drug units around the country, it still is
unknown whether those funds will be available in 2009.

The MEG unit was awarded a $133,571 grant from the state Office of
Justice Assistance and the Wisconsin Department of Justice for
counter-drug operations for 2008. The 2008 grant is about the same as
the $133,463 the MEG unit received in 2007, but funding has been on
the decline since the MEG unit received $212,416 in 2006.

However, funds may not exist in 2009 if Congress cannot reach an
agreement to increase funding for the Byrne Memorial Justice
Assistance Grant program, which funds regional drug units.

Congress passed a spending bill in late December that includes a 67
percent cut to the grant program. As a result, Wisconsin will lose
funds that are used to support the operation of multi-jurisdictional
drug task forces, including the MEG unit that includes the Fond du Lac
area. The program also funds prosecutors, helps crime victims and aims
to reduce racial disparities in the Wisconsin justice system.

"If we cannot get a fix from the federal government for this funding
problem, that is when the funding cuts will be felt by drug task
forces," Office of Justice Assistance spokesman Ryan Sugden said.

Thirty-three drug task forces covering the 72 counties in the state
received $3.78 million in funding from the grant in 2004, Sugden said.
Only 18 task forces, covering just one in three counties, received
$1.7 million in funding in 2007. But if an agreement is not reached,
Sugden said task forces are expected to lose $1 million, and the
number of state-funded task forces could be fewer than five.

"We can give a large number of task forces a small amount of money or
target the money to more specific forces," Sugden said. "It's trying
to find out where you're going to get the most bang for their buck."

A formula that balances population, number of crimes and drug arrests
was used to determine how much each agency received in funding in
2008. Winnebago County, the lead agency for the MEG unit, received
$133,571, which was the second-highest amount awarded. Only Milwaukee
County, which received $540,570 in funds, was awarded more grant money.

With the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Byrne grant program
funding, Sugden said the Office of Justice Assistance is focusing on
finding a solution to the spending bill. If a solution is not reached
by summer, Sugden said task forces will feel the impact of lost
federal funds in 2009.

"With these upcoming cuts, there's no way to forecast how it's going
to impact the Winnebago County task force until we know for certain
there's not a fix coming on the federal level," Sugden said.