REGIONAL ANTI-DRUG TASK FORCES DESERVE MORE SUPPORT

The federal funding hit looming for six of Montana's seven regional
drug task forces could be devastating to law enforcement efforts statewide.

It also is an example of the unreliability of federal funding for
specific local services.

That's because a sizable bloc of citizens doesn't think federal money
should be used for anyservices they deem to be local.

At issue in this case is the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance
Grant program, which aims to help states and local governments support
crime control in areas that might be slighted if left to local priorities.

Such grant money has historically been complicated and somewhat
difficult to obtain, especially for small law enforcement agencies.

The current Byrne grant funds now are distributed 60/40 among state
and local recipients. The distribution mechanism has been changed in a
way that "simplifies the administration process for grantees,"
according to the program's Web site.

That's ironic, because lumping the grants together evidently
simplifies the process of whacking it, too, by making it a bigger
target for Bush administration budget cutters.

They've reduced funding for the program to less than one-third of what
it has been -- from $520 million in 2007 to $170.4 million in fiscal
2008. The state of Montana's share under those two budgets would go
from $1.5 million to $460,000 in the coming year.

The six regional drug task forces face similar reductions. For
example, the Havre-based Tri-Agency Safe Trails Drug Task Force would
lose $124,000, or almost half of its total budget, for the coming year.

"It took us 18 years to get where we're at now -- on top of things,"
said Lt. Jerry Nystrom, commander of that six-county group that
includes the Rocky Boy's and Fort Peck reservations. "This will just
set us back."

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. and chairman of the Finance Committee, is
trying to restore most of the money as an attachment to the Iraq
supplemental spending bill-- fitting, considering that
multibillion-dollar Iraq spending is arguably the reason budgets such
as domestic drug enforcement are being slashed.

Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg, both also of Montana, support
the effort, and, for what it's worth, so do we.

Because of the interstate nature of the illicit drug business, the
feds should fully support law enforcement in this area.