DRUG TASK FORCE NEEDS LOCAL SUPPORT

On an all too regular basis, Talladega County's Drug Task Force makes
headlines for its efforts in getting illegal drugs off the streets.

Bust after bust should send a message that the Task Force will not shy away
from its duty. Members are making a dent in a rock solid problem that faces
communities across the nation, but there is plenty of work that lies ahead.
Especially now.

Methamphetamine production and trafficking are reaching epidemic
proportions, and the headlines of new labs springing up in places like
Sylacauga and Talladega only point toward more of the same.

That's why it must be disheartening for dedicated public servants like
District Attorney Steve Giddens, whose Task Force is losing funding because
federal budgets are being slashed by 50 percent this year. And what's
worse, federal grant money is at risk of being cut completely the following
year.

It is forcing Giddens to turn to local communities to help make up the
difference in the funding loss. This week, he asked the City of Lincoln to
up its investment in the task force from $13,355 this year to $26,776 next
year.

Unfortunately, it is just an indication of requests to come if the group
hopes to be a viable force in the ongoing fight against drugs.

That fight is a local one, and communities across the county, as well as
the county, need to support it. If it means increasing the funding on the
local end, governments need to find a way to do it.

If it means lobbying federal officials for continued grant funding, that
ought to be done, too.

Losing the fight because of a loss of funding should not be an option.