POLICE GRANT CUTS WOULD DEVASTATE ANTI-DRUG SQUAD

Huntington Police Chief Gordon Ramey II says it would be a "major blow."
Other local law enforcement officials are equally gloomy in their assessments.

Ramey and his colleagues are talking about the impact of a proposal by the
Bush administration to cut several federal grant programs for police
departments. If the federal funds are cut, they warn, equipment purchases
would be canceled, anti-drug forces would be drastically reduced, and some
officers could lose their jobs.

Nationwide, reports Gannett News Service, federal grant money has put more
than 110,000 new police officers on the street, created new anti-drug task
forces and helped fund purchases of computers and other modern
crime-fighting equipment.

In financially strapped Huntington, which is getting ready to lay off
police officers, the proposed federal cuts couldn't come at a worse time.

Since 1996, the Huntington Police Department has received more than
$500,000 in federal grant money to purchase computers, squad cars and
communication equipment. In addition, the department receives federal money
for overtime pay for two officers who are members of the Huntington Violent
Crime and Drug Task Force.

The multiagency squad consists of the FBI, West Virginia State Police,
Cabell County Sheriff's Department and the Huntington and Barboursville
police departments. The proposed cutback might not put the task force out
of business, but would surely reduce the number of officers assigned to it.
That's good news for lawbreakers, but bad news for the law-abiding public.

Uncle Sam was right to lend local law enforcement a helping hand. That help
is still needed. Congress should say no to the Bush administration's
ill-advised cuts.