WAR ON TERROR MAY CUT POLICE FUNDING

Mayor Worries About Money For Community Policing

Mayor Bobby Simpson isn't worried about whether Baton Rouge police officers
and firefighters will have the proper face mask respirators, chemical
escape suits or hazardous materials expertise should terrorists decide to
retaliate for the war in Iraq.

That, he knows, is bought and paid for.

What does concern the mayor, however, is the future availability of
resources that facilitate fighting those crimes that aren't exactly fodder
these days for CNN, but no less troubling to those who live and work in
this community: Drugs, theft, robbery, corruption and murder.

Much of the federal funding for first responders -- police, fire, medical
services and others on the front lines of anti-terrorism -- is being
diverted from existing law enforcement allocations for such programs as
community policing and innovative anti-drug programs, a number of local,
state and national officials contend. The reason: It's being repackaged as
"new" homeland security resources.

"What we're hearing there isn't really a whole lot of new money in the
current budget for Homeland Security," said Simpson, who has claimed
community policing and technological advances in law enforcement -- all of
it funded by the now-diminishing allocations -- as a major accomplishment
during his administration. "Everybody's worried about how that's going to
affect us down the road."

Specifically, the 2003 federal budget includes $3.5 billion in funding for
local communities to expend on homeland security equipment and training.

But it contains only $1.2 billion in new money, according to several
congressional analyses. And only $1.3 billion of the total allocation can
be used for state and local emergency response plans, Homeland Security
Secretary Tom Ridge has said.

Nearly two-thirds of the total amount was diverted from existing law
enforcement programs, according to documents provided by the Senate
Appropriations Committee. That includes $1.1 billion from the Community
Oriented Policing Services, $400 billion from the general local law
enforcement block grants, and $595 million from the Byrne block grant
program for innovative crime and illegal drug fighting programs.

The new homeland security funding also includes $796 million from existing
Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for emergency response.

Louisiana is anticipating a $6.6 million slice of the homeland security
pie, said the Homeland Security division of the state's Office of Emergency
Preparedness. What isn't known, however, is whether or not police and fire
departments throughout south Louisiana will be served a smaller entree in
the form of cuts to existing programs on which they have come to rely.
Officials are bracing for it.

"We're still waiting to see on how all of this will come out in the wash,"
said Tom Ed McHugh, executive director of the Louisiana Municipal
Association. "If it just means replacing one program with a stronger
program, and we ultimately end up with more dollars on the local level for
police, fire, and EMS, then I'm in favor of it. But if it means a loss of
funds, that's something we'll have to address."

According to the latest U.S. Department of Justice statistics, Baton Rouge
has received approximately $1.4 million in COPS funding, while the East
Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office gleaned $1.8 million. Other cities and
parishes throughout south Louisiana have benefited as well, such as St.
Landry Parish, which received $781,000; the City of Lafayette, $1.3
million; and the City of Denham Springs, $507,000.

The diminishing block grants come at a time when Louisiana and many of its
cities are strapped for revenues. At the same time, the FBI -- which
traditionally lent resources and expertise to local law enforcement -- has
been completely redirected to anti-terrorism duty.

"This will further weaken local law enforcement's ability to deal with
drugs, racketeering, and other major national public safety issues," said
Cameron Whitman, director of policy and federal relations for the National
League of Cities in Washington, D.C.

"You don't just stop doing all of those things the moment you have the
additional responsibility of dealing with terrorism."

In Baton Rouge, the block grants have been used to upgrade technology, such
as the purchase of laptops for every patrol car, interfacing with every law
enforcement agency in the parish. Funds also have been used to automate the
prisoner processing unit, fingerprinting system and reporting system so
that law enforcement officers can spend more time in the community.

Block grants are preferable, law enforcement officials say, because they
give communities discretion over how the funds are spent based on local
needs. By comparison, the homeland security funding is earmarked for
specialized equipment generally needed only in the event of a chemical or
biological attack.

Local law enforcement recently received a $320,000 grant through the Office
of Emergency Preparedness, for example -- but it had to be spent on
full-face mask respirators and chemical escape suits that have been issued
to every police officer.

"It will affect us if we're forced to spend monies a certain way that
previously we were given discretion over," said Cpl. Don Kelly of the Baton
Rouge Police Department. "Most agencies prefer a block grant concept; it's
been very successful for us."

Two weeks ago, Simpson met with Louisiana's congressional delegation to
propose that homeland security funds be distributed as is FEMA disaster aid
- -- reimbursing communities for expenses. Said Simpson: "We already have a
model in place."

There are those who believe the funding is adequate. Not every small town
in America needs to be fully equipped for anti-terrorism efforts, they
noted, lest "homeland security" quickly become a euphemism for "waste of
taxpayers' money."

"It's true that some funding was diverted in the budget proposal," said
U.S. Rep. David Vitter, R-Metairie, who serves on the House Appropriations
Committee. "But the other side of the coin is that homeland security
funding has doubled in the recent past. There have been major increases in
funding because of new threats, and new efforts that need to be made in
light of those threats."

Nevertheless, Vitter said he is closely watching the budget process for
2004 to ensure that law enforcement funding "provides maximum flexibility
to folks on the front line."

The Louisiana delegation is working on funding earmarked for homeland
security in Louisiana, including an $11 million proposal for Louisiana
State Police homeland security control center, $1.2 million for the
Louisiana Guard Terrorism Program, and $20 million for a Louisiana State
University Domestic Terrorism Training Program.