TIGHT BUDGET KEEPS CALERA FROM JOINING DRUG TASK FORCE

The failure of Calera's new city budget to provide requested
funding for additional police officers means the city won't be able
to join a countywide drug task force, Police Chief Jim Finn said.

Finn had requested Calera hire an additional six police officers to
help patrol the rapidly growing city. The budget allocated funding for
two.

The chief said he had hoped to be able to assign an officer to the
drug task force full-time, but he would need more officers before he
could spare one for task force duty.

Calera has had an increase in drug use, namely crack cocaine and
methamphetamines, Finn said.

"We suspect a lot more meth use than we see," he said.

Patrol officers in Calera, the chief said, are too busy to spend too
much time investigating drug activity.

"You can't work patrol and investigate drug crimes at the same time,"
he said.

Mayor George Roy said several budget requests from the Police
Department have been tabled until more revenue comes into the city
after the first of the year.

Unfortunately, Finn said, any new funding for the department at that
point would come too late for Calera to be able to join the task force
during fiscal 2005. "Maybe we can participate next year," he said.

A federal grant funds the countywide task force and is distributed by
the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Shelby County Commission provides matching money to secure the
$235,000 grant.

The Shelby County Drug Task Force includes members from the Sheriff's
Department and the Alabaster, Columbiana, Montevallo and Pelham police
departments.

The grant pays the salaries for task force officers. Each
participating police department is responsible for assigning an
employee to work on the task force full-time.

The county's original drug task force lost its funding and was
disbanded in 1999 after eight years of operation.

The group was resurrected early this year in an effort to reduce
drug-related crimes in the county.