CITIES MUST HAVE TOOLS TO FIGHT LOCAL CRIME

Metro prosecutors should capitalize on every dollar they get to fight
gun-related crimes, but a grant is no match for state legislation.

Davidson County District Attorney Torry Johnson's office has received
a three-year, $360,000 federal grant to hire three new prosecutors,
allowing three experienced staffers to concentrate solely on
gun-related crimes.

Drug- and gang-related homicides almost always involve firearms and
demand more time from prosecutors, which under-funded prosecutors'
offices often lack. The grant under the Community Gun Violence
Prosecution Program pays for 80% of additional salaries. The state
pays the rest.

But what prosecutors need more than grants is tougher penalties for
gun-related crimes coupled with reliable funding. An excellent
legislative package is already on the table. The Tennessee Public
Safety Coalition, comprised of district attorneys general, chiefs of
police and sheriffs across the state, early this year presented a
comprehensive plan designed to tackle serious crimes.

The package includes one bill that would create tougher punishment
for violent crimes committed by three or more people, an attempt to
crack down on gangs. Another bill would stiffen penalties for
unlawfully carrying firearms. Another would increase the number of
local prosecutors, the very sort of initiative Metro seeks to address
with the federal grant.

But there's a big difference in Metro channeling three prosecutors
toward gun crimes and in meeting the actual statewide need of public
safety. The coalition's proposal calls for 47 more local prosecutors
throughout the state. A comptroller's report from 1999 says the state
actually needs 142. The coalition also calls for more funding for
drug courts, which are cost-effective because they reduce the rate of
recidivism.

The coalition's legislative proposal is a perfect example of how
state funding is directly related to public safety. Critics who say
the legislature should cut spending must realize that such an
approach undermines efforts by local police departments and
prosecutors. Johnson's office no doubt can make good use of the
grant, but a serious answer from state legislators would do far more
to fight the most deadly crimes in this state.