SHERIFF ENDS DRUG TASK FORCE

Denton County Sheriff Weldon Lucas will disband the North Central Texas
Narcotics Task Force because of the state's reductions in funding and
strict requirements, said Kevin Patton, sheriff's office spokesman.

The task force will cease operations on Aug.31 and return remaining money
from the $418,738 grant, said Lucas in a letter to Gov. Rick Perry.

Thursday's announcement came after one year of consideration by the
sheriff, Patton said. And while this decision to end the program falls just
one month into the program's funding year, Patton said Lucas "didn't really
make up his mind until after that."

Both Lucas, and Denton County District Attorney Bruce Isaacks, the chairman
of the task force board of advisers, were unavailable for comment on Friday.

"The grants are getting smaller and harder to apply for," Patton said.
"There are a lot of stipulations and things you have to do to where it was
becoming that the grant we receive is not taking care of all of the
financial needs of the task force."

While the funds are given by the state for a portion of salaries, rent and
expenses, they must be matched with assets seized in drug arrests.

"We're making a whole lot of arrests, but not seeing a lot of the money,
autos and property being confiscated as well," Patton said. "It gets a lot
of drugs off the streets, but the money is not there to fund the program."

Typically, eight to 10 members make up the task force. These members will
be reassigned to various departments within the sheriff's office, Patton said.

Lucas consulted last week with Sheriff-elect Benny Parkey about the
decision. Parkey will assume the post in January.

"I was surprised that after it was approved, they didn't maintain it for
the year," Parkey said. "He asked my opinion of him wrapping down, and I
told him that it was definitely his decision. My feelings have always been
that a narcotics task force based on matching grants is not an ideal
situation."

Having worked in narcotics, Parkey said that in his opinion, relegating
officers to the task of raising funds for their operation detracts from law
enforcement.

"If they come as a result of law enforcement, then that's all the better,
but to have that up front at the beginning of every fiscal years is a
concern," he said. With the disbanding of the unit, Patton said that
narcotics enforcement will now fall under the umbrella of the sheriff's
office. Parkey said he would have to examine the narcotics enforcement in
the department after he takes office at the first of the year to determine
how the area will be covered in the future.

"Historically over the last couple of years, the money available in grants
is decreasing," Parkey said. "It's not unusual for task forces to go back
into the department. You can form a version of a task force without having
to fund through outside sources by having an in-house narcotics unit that
would work with mutual aid and within the force."

The North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force was formed in 1990 as a
multi-jurisdictional/multi-agency unit to enforce narcotics-trafficking
laws and prosecute the violators identified by enhanced enforcement in the
project area. The task force covers Denton and Grayson counties, and a
population of more than 600,000 people.

Personnel are assigned to the unit from the Denton County sheriff's office,
the Texas National Guard Counter-drug Program and the Highland Village
police department. Additional resources are utilized from the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Regional High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area office, area law enforcement agencies, and the Texas Department of
Public Safety.