CASH-STRAPPED TASK FORCE APPEALS TO COMMUNITY

MONTROSE - Law enforcement agencies stopped just short of passing the
hat, but they made it clear: the local drug task force is in dire
need of funding.

The Seventh Judicial District Meth/Drug Task Force is reeling from
the cessation of federal Byrne grant funding, which, officials say,
was hardly adequate to begin with. The task force is now seeking
anything from grants to private donations.

Its $47,000 Byrne allotment for this fiscal year wasn't enough to pay
rent, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Curt Williams said
Wednesday, during a multi-jurisdictional meeting about the task force.

Byrne grant funding expires in September. Montrose County and the
city of Montrose have stepped up their funding contributions, as have
other governments, though it hasn't been easy. Gunnison, for
instance, had to put some of its other projects on hold to make a
cash contribution to the task force, which is comprised of officers
from several agencies within the Seventh Judicial District. Those
agencies pay the officers' salaries. They're also on the hook for
overtime pay, which, Williams said was "off the charts" for his agents.

While participants Wednesday disagreed over whether to seek more
federal funding, or to, as San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters put
it, take care of their own problems, there was general agreement that
the community needs to step up to the plate.

But first, residents have to understand the scope of the problem -
including that a drug dealer's definition of "community" is pretty
loose. Dealers know few boundaries, Williams and others said.

Those pushed out of Mesa County by stepped up enforcement simply come
to Delta, Montrose, Gunnison and other towns in the Seventh Judicial
District, where an estimated 85 percent of arrestees have some type
of narcotics connection.

"That's frightening," Williams said. He also said the drug problem
locally is in some ways bigger than it is in the Denver metro area.
"It has, I think, a bigger impact on the community, and then there's
no funding. ... The money is drying up."

The task force has five agents to cover 10,000 square miles. Some of
its money is used in controlled buys that enable agents to take down
major distributors. It also helps with prosecutions, which are
critical. Without a strong penalty for drug offenses, or likelihood
of prosecution, confidential informants have little incentive to cooperate.

Williams was forthright. He wants Byrne back. "Byrne was made for a
reason - to fund drug task forces," he said.

But earlier this year, the state board overseeing Byrne grant
disbursements cut off all funding because of a significant dip in
federal funds. "That's B.S.," Williams said.

District Attorney Myrl Serra said public safety must come before
other needs. He said that despite low manpower and a shoestring
budget, the task force has seen significant successes, particularly
after shifting its focus to major players.

Serra envisions the day when he can have a deputy DA dedicated solely
to drug prosecution, but said he won't have another staffer added to
his office until 2010.

In Montrose alone, there has been a 137-percent increase in drug
cases, excluding spin-off crimes, where drugs might play a role.
Williams would later point to 14 officer-involved shootings on the
Western Slope that were tied in some way to drugs, and to increasing
gang activity.

"I think it's time for the community to step up. There's no better
investment than law enforcement," Serra said. "Nothing happens in a
vacuum. I think the community needs to take the blinders off."

Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Jim Schran agreed. He said his
agency has a presence in Montrose now because of leadership Montrose
has shown, but mostly because "quite frankly, the traffickers are
here."

Drug enforcement has begun to shift emphasis to education and
treatment. Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee said that while those
components are important, the criminal investigation aspect should
not be taken out of the mix. "The criminal activity is not going
away," he said.

McKee wanted federal money from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Areas, or HITA, program. "Delta and Montrose should have some HITA
money."

Williams said HITA disbursements are at the discretion of Washington,
D.C. and the money is dedicated to stopping major drug trafficking
operations, not to funding local task forces.

Without money, there can be no investigations. But local agencies
can't just do nothing, Montrose Police Chief Tom Chinn said.

"There's a perception out there that drug cases are like issuing
traffic tickets," he said. "It doesn't work like that. We have to be
a leader (in enforcement). We're a long way from being a leader. We
need more funding."