FEDERAL CUTS WOULD IMPACT DRUG ENFORCEMENT UNIT

Unless Congress steps up to restore funding for regional drug task
forces around the country, many of those units, including the
Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit (FCNEU), may be forced to
disband or sharply curtail operations, according to a spokesman for
the local unit.

For the past several years, the White House budget has "zeroed out"
so-called Byrne Fund grants, the vital federal funding source for
drug task force units around the country, said Detective Sgt. Jason
Grellner, FCNEU commander.

"We rely heavily on those funds for narcotics investigation. About 80
percent of our funding comes from that source," Grellner said.

"Each year we've relied to Congress to put those funds back in,"
Grellner explained. Steep cuts were made in 2003 and 2004, but
through the lobbying efforts of the National Narcotics Officers
Association Coalition, funds were restored, he added.

This year, House and Senate subcommittees have proposed Byrne funding
totals between $600 and $660 million but in negotiations between the
president's staff and legislators, that is proposed to be cut by 75
percent to about $166 million, Grellner said.

"If it stays at that level, you'll see a large perentage of narcotics
units shutting down," he explained. "We're looking at hard times coming."

Regional narcotics units do more than just bust local drug dealers
and shut down illegal lab and smuggling operations, Grellner noted.
Intelligence information obtained through narcotics units provides
data on homeland security matters as well as drugs, he said. Illegal
drug profits are a main funding source for terrorism.

The narcotics officers association plans to begin lobbying lawmakers
next year to restore funding cuts, Grellner said. Based on current
available funding sources, the FCNEU would be able to sustain
operations through 2009, Grellner said, but at that point the
continued operation would be in question.

COPS Grant

Some good news came last week when it was announced that the county
had been awarded a $141,000 COPS (Community Oriented Policing
Services) grant for next year.

The grant is part of a federal omnibus appropriations bill approved
by Congress. Ninth District Congressman Kenny Hulshof included the
earmark in the bill. President Bush has indicated he will sign the
omnibus bill.

Grellner said the money will be used to pay salaries and benefits for
support staff and other narcotics enforcement efforts.

Part of the money will pay the salary of a prevention and
rehabilitation specialist who works with the Center for Women in
Transition, the Franklin County Drug Court, D.A.R.E., and the
Franklin County PARTY (Peers Acting Responsibly in Teenage Years)
program formed in 2005.

The funds also will pay for a part-time staffer at the task force
office, overtime pay for FCNEU officers, fuel and equipment needs,
like audio and video surveillance equipment, Grellner said.

About $30,000 from COPS grants each year have been dedicated for
D.A.R.E. and the PARTY programs, Grellner said.

PARTY is designed to promote alcohol- and drug-free recreational
activities for high school teens, and students from all the high
schools in the county are involved in planning and organizing events.

Over the last several years, the narcotics unit has received about
$670,000 in COPS grant funding. "All of that has come through the
efforts of Rep. Hulshof," Grellner said.

Initially, COPS grants were used to fund Operation CHEM (Companies
Helping Eliminate Meth), the department's innovative program used to
train employees of local businesses to be alert and report suspicious
purchases or thefts of items used to manufacture methamphetamine.

"As we all know, Franklin County has been a hotbed of meth production
and usage, but progress is being made thanks in large part to
programs like Operation CHEM," Hulshof said in a prepared statement.
"Sheriff Gary Toelke and his staff are making tremendous strides in
the battle against meth."

The FCNEU is one of 27 narcotics investigation units currently
operating in Missouri. Local municipalities provide funding for the
task force and local police chiefs and the sheriff are members of a
board that oversees the operation.

Transportation Grant

The omnibus spending bill also includes a $172,480 appropriation for
the Franklin County Transportation Council. The money will be used to
replace several high-mileage vehicles currently in use.

The council provides transportation services for elderly and disabled
county residents.

Several of the county's transit vans are reaching the end of their
useful life span. This additional funding will help update the
current fleet, Hulshof said in a prepared statement. Hulshof secured
a $148,775 appropriation in 2004.