SHERIFF DEFENDS HIDTA ETHICS, PERFORMANCE

CROWN POINT -- The Lake County sheriff is defending the High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force against allegations it is
torn by ethics and performance problems.

Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez said Friday state police are
reviewing whether HIDTA cars, leased at public expense, were
routinely sold to HIDTA employees after the leases expired.
Meanwhile, Lake County HIDTA officials say they are dealing with
scrutiny from Washington that the local agency fails to meet national
standards in the fight against gangs and drugs.

"It is not a criminal investigation," Dominguez said, reacting to a
letter released Thursday by Scott M. Burns, deputy director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington D.C.,

However, Burns wrote the state police "have commenced a criminal
investigation related to HIDTA funds."

Dominguez said an audit of the county's HIDTA by the Office of
National Drug Control Policy noted that Linda James, the task force's
fiscal officer, purchased a car that HIDTA had previously leased and
had let her use.

"The audit only cited Linda's purchase as an ethical concern but
didn't say there was a criminal violation or a violation of internal
policy," Dominguez said. "The HIDTA executive board decided to ask
state police to conduct a review of all cars HIDTA has leased since
1996. Asking for this investigation is an act of being responsible."

Lt. David Kirkham, of the Indiana State Police Area 1 investigations,
couldn't be reached Friday.

Dominguez said local HIDTA officials also are having to justify to
Washington the cost-effectiveness of their performance in combating
illicit drug trafficking and gang violence.

"They said we didn't meet national standards with our statistics,"
Dominguez said.

The sheriff insists the county HIDTA is effectively gathering
intelligence and making sufficient arrests.

Burns stated in a letter this week that the county HIDTA must
terminate the sheriff's office as the fiduciary of fiscal trustee of
the program.

Chuck Brimmer, chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.,
said Friday the congressman is drafting legislation to transfer
fiduciary control of the program to the U.S. attorney's office in
Hammond for the next four years.

"We have every confidence in (U.S. Attorney) David Capp," Brimmer
said. "We need to fight drugs and gangs in Lake County and Northwest
Indiana. HIDTA is critical to that effort."