BLADEN DEPUTY TO LOBBY FOR FEDERAL FUNDS

ELIZABETHTOWN -- The top deputy at the Bladen County Sheriff's Office is
headed to Washington next week to lobby for more federal grants to combat
drugs. Chief Deputy Phillip Little and other members of the National
Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition are trying to get Congress to
reinstate funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants,
Little said. The money is used to fund public safety and drug enforcement
programs, Little said.

But money for the program was slashed under the Bush administration from
$1 billion to slightly more than $100 million, Little said. "North
Carolina is one of the top 10 recipients in the country, and when you go
from -- over the years -- $1 billion of funding nationally down to a
little more than $100million dollars, it has a big impact on what North
Carolina gets," he said.

In 2007, the state's allocation of grants was $8.2 million, according to
the program's Web site. The state received only $3.1 million in 2008, a 62
percent decrease.

Coalition members are known on Capitol Hill, Little said. They've
testified before subcommittees and are often asked to present position
papers to lawmakers. "We've really developed a presence on the Hill," he
said. "They know who we are. If Congress wants to know about drug
enforcement and trends in our country, they come to us." The organization
is made up of members of the Narcotic Enforcement Officers Associations in
each state, said Little, who serves on the coalition's board of directors.

The coalition was organized in 1995 to counter efforts by the Clinton
administration to eliminate the grant money.

Members will meet with North Carolina congressmen, including Reps. Mike
McIntyre, Bob Etheridge and Larry Kissell, along with Sens. Kay Hagan and
Richard Burr.