OFFICIALS FEAR TASK FORCE FUNDS LOST

Galveston Among Perry's Cuts

Galveston County law enforcement officials said Friday it may be too late
to save funding for an area narcotics task force.

The task force is one of five in the state losing federal funds, which are
distributed by Gov. Rick Perry's office. The task force was denied funding
after Brazoria County pulled out.

Perry in 2001 required the task forces to serve more than one county for "a
consistent statewide approach," said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Perry.

Freddie Poor, chief deputy with the Galveston County Sheriff's office, said
that since the task force was created in 1989, authorities have arrested
5,000 people and recovered $205 million in illegal drugs. Poor is the task
force's project coordinator.

"We're the first line of defense on narcotics and gang activity," said
Poor. "If the task force goes away, a lot of citizens in Galveston County
will suffer greatly."

Poor said Galveston County officials will be meeting with their state
lawmakers in an effort to restore funding. But Walt said that it's unlikely
funding would be restored before the next grant application cycle, which
begins next January.

Poor said the task force serves Galveston County as well as the communities
of Manvel and Danbury in Brazoria County. It receives about $650,000 in
federal funds through the Justice Department's Edward J. Byrne grant
program, and $200,000 from participating law enforcement agencies.

Last week, the governor's office mailed notices to 13 narcotics task forces
informing them that they were losing funding. Walt said that some of the
letters were mistakenly sent, and that only five are losing funding because
of compliance issues.

The regional narcotics task forces have been controversial. One of the most
notorious cases involved the arrests of 46 Tulia residents, all but seven
of them black, by a white undercover officer whose testimony has since been
discredited. The remaining 14 of those defendants are scheduled to be
released on bond Monday under the terms of a special law passed and signed
by Perry.

Travis County Sheriff Margo Frasier disbanded the Capital Area Narcotics
Task Force last year after a series of high-profile incidents, including
the killing of an unarmed man who was sleeping on a sofa when the task
force raided his cousin's home.

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas criticized the task
forces for targeting minority communities and filling state prisons with
nonviolent offenders. Will Harrell, executive director of the ACLU, said
the task forces lack oversight and aren't accountable to voters.

State Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, tried to end funding for all 45 task
forces. Keel, a former Travis County sheriff, said task forces across the
state have had problems.

Poor said there have been no violations linked to the Galveston County task
force.

Mo Ibrahim, first assistant district attorney in Galveston County, said
he's found task force officers to be highly trained and experienced.

"In my more than a decade of experience, they've been an invaluable part of
fighting narcotics in our county," said Ibrahim.