$73,000 CUT PART OF SHIFT TOWARD DRUG TREATMENT AND EDUCATION

OWENSBORO - A Western Kentucky regional drug task force is seeing its
funding cut as the state shifts resources to drug treatment and education.

"This comes as a bit of a surprise," said Cheyenne Albro, director of
the Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force, which covers a 10-county area in
Western Kentucky.

The Pennyrile task force lost about $73,000 from the federal Edward
Byrne grant administered by the state each year for law enforcement,
Albro said.

Last fiscal year, the task force received $454,000 of the $7.5 million
awarded through the grant program to the state, said Chris Gilligan,
spokesman for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.

The Pennyrile task force requested $456,000 for the current fiscal
year, which began in July, and was awarded $381,427 of the $6.9
million awarded to the state, Gilligan said.

"There wasn't enough money to go around for everybody," Gilligan said.
"We know we had some good programs that weren't funded. We had to make
some tough choices."

Last week, Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced a comprehensive drug-control
plan that includes the creation of the Office of Drug Control Policy
and more of an emphasis on treatment and education.

The new plan was based on the recommendations of the Statewide Drug
Control Assessment Summit, which issued a final report last week after
meeting with community and law enforcement groups around the state
during the last five months.

The shift to education and treatment factors into the cuts in task
force funding, Gilligan said. Funding to 31 task forces in the state
that receive Byrne grant money was cut at least 5 percent, and then
other factors were taken into account in determining how much each
task force would receive, he said.

The Pennyrile task force received a 15 percent reduction, which
Gilligan said was about average for the drug task forces.

Albro said more resources should be devoted to drug treatment and
rehabilitation, but the money shouldn't come from law
enforcement.

"I'm really for that, but the problem is you take away from the effort
to arrest people," he said. "Generally, when someone is arrested is
when they realize they need treatment."