SHERIFF VOWS TO KEEP DRUG SQUAD

Even if Novato withdraws its support from the Marin County Major
Crimes Task Force - as city officials recently suggested it might -
the narcotics squad is not going away any time soon, the county
sheriff said.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep the task force going,"
said Sheriff Robert Doyle. "I don't think you can have a county this
size and keep your head buried and think narcotics is not a problem."

The task force, founded in 1977 as a cooperative between Marin's 11
cities and the county, was created to target mid-to upper-level drug
dealers. In earlier years, its ranks were filled by various local
agencies, the FBI, the state Department of Justice and the
California Highway Patrol, but state and federal agencies redirected
their resources after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Two years later, San Rafael pulled out of the squad and withdrew its
$131,000 share of the budget. City Hall officials said crime was
falling and the money could be better spent elsewhere.

So far, no other cities have followed San Rafael out the door. But
last month, Novato officials, facing a deficit of $500,000 this
fiscal year and $1 million next year, discussed pulling out of the
task force to save money.

"It is something we should continue to belong to, but I don't believe
we can afford it," Chief Joseph Kreins told City Council members.

The joint powers agreement that governs the task force remains in
effect as long as it includes enough local governments to represent
at least 51 percent of Marin's population. If Novato, with a
population of about 52,000, pulls out of the task force, that alone
would not be enough to kill the joint powers agreement.

But if Novato were no longer contributing its share of the squad's
annual $1.4 million budget - the city's share is $194,000 this fiscal
year and about $250,000 next - other Marin cities might feel more
pressure to withdraw as well. The departure of one additional town
would sink the joint powers agreement.

Under the charter, a city that wants to withdraw has to give the task
force a year's notice from the July 1 start of the fiscal year. So
the squad is assured of its current funding scheme through July 1,
2010.

But even if Novato and other towns withdraw, Doyle said he will keep
the task force running in some form, even if it means reducing its
ranks or pulling deputies away from assignments such as schools or
the jail.

The task force currently consists of a sheriff's lieutenant, a
sheriff's sergeant, five deputies and an administrative aide. It gets
additional support from the county's probation enforcement unit,
which consists of two sheriff's deputies and a San Rafael police
officer.

According to task force statistics, the squad conducted 43 operations
from July to September in Novato, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Fairfax,
San Anselmo, Sausalito, unincorporated areas and the College of
Marin. It seized 1.4 pounds of cocaine; nearly half a pound of
methamphetamine; 2 pounds of marijuana; 666 tablets of Ecstasy; and
smaller quantities of Oxycontin, Xanax and other prescription drugs.

Doyle said maintaining a task force is a priority because, without
it, there would be no team in Marin dedicated to finding mid- and
high-level drug sources. Furthermore, he said, the $1.4 million task
force budget - about 55 percent of which is covered by the sheriff's
department - is a "drop in the bucket" compared to the $100 million
Marin taxpayers spend each year on law enforcement countywide.

"I still will find a way to make this work," he said.

San Rafael Mayor Al Boro said the city has no plans to rejoin the
task force, because doing so would draw financial resources away from
other programs such as foot patrols, street crimes enforcement,
school liaison officers and the boat patrol.

"It's, quite frankly, not something we're pursuing," Boro said. "We
work with our manager and our police chief, and they and the council
agree that we have other priorities in the police department that we
think are more important that we would have to sacrifice if we joined."