AREA ANTI-DRUG FORCES TO GET GRANTS

Nearly $800,000 in federal grant money is on the way to southwest
Missouri to help fight drugs.

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Tuesday that five anti-drug and crime
programs in the Ozarks will receive Byrne Formula Grants from the
U.S. Department of Justice, administered through the Missouri
Department of Public Safety.

The largest grant goes to the Combined Ozarks Multi-Jurisdictional
Enforcement Team, or COMET, an anti-drug police task force that
covers Christian, Greene, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster Counties.

Lt. Steve Dalton, the officer in charge of COMET, said the annual
grant award is the primary source of funding for the task force.

"If you go outside of Greene County, no other county has a drug
unit," said Dalton, a lieutenant with the Branson Police Department.
"COMET's reason for existing is to assist the smaller agencies that
really don't have the manpower to work drug cases."

The grant, about $324,000, funds three full-time officers and nearly
all of COMET's operating costs. Various city and county departments
also supply officers to the task force.

Dalton said COMET worked about 300 drug and weapons cases in 2004.
"Drugs and guns kind of go together, unfortunately," he said.

Dalton estimated approximately 70 percent of the cases were related
to methamphetamine use.

Another $89,000 goes to Greene County's Court Reporting Intensive
Supervision Program, commonly known as Drug Court.

The program works to rehabilitate nonviolent drug offenders, using
supervision, drug testing, treatment services and incentives rather
than jail time. All participants are required to get a job, a
residence and a general equivalency diploma as well as maintain sobriety.

Drug Court Administrator Marilyn Gibson said the grant pays for two
case workers, who review potential program participants. It also pays
10 off-duty police officers to make random unannounced visits to participants.

"They help hold the participant accountable for their actions," said
Gibson. "They'll do a Breathalyzer on the participant, and they'll do
a brief search of the house for drugs and alcohol."

Gibson said Drug Court saves the county money by keeping offenders
out of jail and making them productive members of the community.

[Sidebar]

Byrne Formula Grant recipients:

$324,000 ­ to the Combined Ozarks Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement
Team. Will pay for officer salaries and operating costs for an
anti-drug task force that serves six counties.

$255,000 ­ shared by the Southwest Missouri Drug Task Force, based in
Barry County, and the Barry County prosecuting attorney. Will pay for
a special prosecutor and the task force's efforts to target the
narcotics trade with an emphasis on meth and violent crimes
associated with drug activity.

$125,000 ­ to the Jasper County Drug Task Force. Pays for
surveillance and undercover methods to arrest and convict drug violators.

$89,000 ­ to Greene County's Court Reporting Intensive Supervision
Program, commonly known as Drug Court. Pays for case managers and
officers who make random, unannounced visits to program participants.