BLUNT FILLS GAP IN DRUG TASK FORCE FUNDING

Federal cuts in funding to the Missouri Sheriff's Meth-amphetamine
Relief Team would have limited future successes of the meth-fighting
programs in Taney and Stone County without the $1.8 million in
supplemental funding provided by the state this week.

"Washington is clearly out of touch with Missouri families," Gov.
Matt Blunt said Monday. "Despite strong objections from leaders like
Sen. Bond, the Washington Congressional leadership and their
followers cavalierly eliminated this critical funding for Missouri
law enforcement."

Gov. Blunt said the state funding will supplement the lost federal
funds, and he called on Congress to stop eliminating this critical funding.

According to Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell, the successes of
the Combined Ozarks Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team
(C.O.M.E.T.) that serves seven counties -- funded in part by federal
MoSMART -- would be more difficult to achieve without the funding.

"It's long overdue. In the past we've been able to do more
investigations on methamphetamine," Stone County Sheriff Richard
Hill commented about the federal funding cut.

To date this year, one methamphetamine lab, thirty-two search
warrants (17 meth-related), six undercover drug buys (four
meth-related), 65 consent searches (23 meth-related), 82 arrests
pertaining to these cases -- 43 of which are methamphetamine related
- -- have occurred, as reported by C.O.M.E.T. Drug Task Force's
officer in charge, Scott Britton.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that -- since Missouri's
new meth law took effect -- meth incidents have declined
approximately 40 percent (in the state).

MoSMART was begun by Sen. Bond in 2001. From its inception, the
program proved to be successful, according to Britton.

"Currently our task force receives funding through the MoSMART
program to fund an investigator's position as well as overtime for
that position and other personnel assigned to C.O.M.E.T. If this
funding was not received, our task force will be greatly impacted,"
Britton advised.

C.O.M.E.T. serves seven counties: Christian, Greene, Lawrence, Polk,
Stone, Taney and Webster, which have a population of over half a
million citizens and includes Springfield, the state's third largest
city as well as Branson which has an influx of tourism that numbers
in the millions annually.

"We'd really like to see funding come back. As funding goes, it
gives the task force more to work with. MoSMART money goes to help
fund C.O.M.E.T. and local sheriffs," Sheriff Hill said.

Sheriff Russell said one full-time investigator on staff at the
Taney County office is funded by and works with C.O.M.E.T.

"That means our money is coming back to the county -- it's a
contributing factor when our officers work with (C.O.M.E.T.) and
give us leads. We then work very closely with (county prosecutor
Jeff Merrell) with search warrants. He and his staff have been very
good to work with." Russell said.

C.O.M.E.T. was created in August of 1993 when police administrators
in southwest Missouri saw the need for a multi-jurisdictional,
proactive plainclothes investigative unit to handle complex drug,
undercover and conspiracy investigations. The team is governed
by an executive board made up of four sheriffs and four chiefs of
police, one MSHP lieutenant, and one prosecuting attorney as legal counsel.

Sheriff Russell currently serves on the board. Nearly all of
C.O.M.E.T.'S operational costs are funded through various grants and
federal grant programs and initiative.

"As a community, you know first hand how important it is that
criminal offenders be successfully prosecuted for the crimes that
they commit. Further, you also know -- without successful
investigations -- there can be no prosecutions," Britton told the
Branson Daily News Tuesday.

"C.O.M.E.T. will still exist, but the people who will be impacted
the most are Missouri's citizens who look to agencies like ours for
help when it comes to battling the methamphetamine problem from
which Missouri suffers."

Officer Britton stated that the C.O.M.E.T. task force area is the
fastest growing area in population within the state; however, the
majority of the task force's area is rural and relatively poor with
respect to law enforcement access to financial resources.

Methamphetamine is one of the major drugs of concern, he explained,
for law enforcement agencies in the region. Recent legislation that
restricts the sale of pseudo-ephedrine may help decrease the number
of local labs that are recovered, Britton said, but it will not, "
completely halt local production because of the addictive nature of
the drug will drive suspects to continue to obtain the precursors
necessary to create the drug.

Even with the decrease in local production of meth, Britton
explained that the influx of imported methamphetamine, generally
organized by groups who buy it in bulk an distribute it to local
dealers and users, remains a problem.