GUADALUPE COUNTY OFFICIALS CITE CONCERNS OVER 'TURF WARS'

SEGUIN - The 81st Judicial District Narcotics Task Force might be on the
verge of expanding, despite reluctance by elected officials in Guadalupe
County to grant police powers to narcotics agents who investigate
drug-related crimes.

Based in Floresville, the 81st district's task force conducts anti-drug
operations in Wilson, Frio, Atascosa, La Salle, and Karnes counties. A plan
to broaden the organization's jurisdiction with oversight by the Department
of Public Safety would expand the task force into Gonzales, Lavaca, and
Guadalupe counties.

The Guadalupe County Commission-ers' Court unanimously rejected a proposal
March 23 to grant task-force personnel the authority to carry out police
work within the county's borders. The request was made by DPS, which plans
to open a task-force office in downtown Seguin and staff it with DPS
narcotics agents and sheriff's department officers from Gonzales and Lavaca
counties.

"I don't want any turf wars coming in here with two different agencies,"
Guadalupe County Commissioner Jim Wolverton said.

Guadalupe County operates its own narcotics unit, which is staffed with
personnel previously assigned to the 24th and 25th Judicial District
Narcotics Task Force. Formerly headquartered in Seguin, the 24th and 25th
task force was disbanded in 2003 after audits conducted by both local and
state officials indicated drugs and other evidence were missing from the
task force's vault.

The aftermath of those audits included the city of Seguin's relinquishment
of its control over the task force, as well as some finger-pointing from
task-force personnel who complained that some DPS officials were harassing
them.

There are 47 narcotics task forces in Texas, and the governor's Criminal
Justice Division provides funding while DPS officials ensure that the
narcotics agencies are in compliance with operational policies and
procedures established by the state.

"We've got so much infighting between DPS and the task force," said
Guadalupe County Judge Donald Schraub. The judge said he wanted to see a
"cleaner contract" that more clearly specified funding and other aspects of
the DPS proposal for a new task force in Seguin.

Upon the dissolution of the 24th and 25th task force, some cash and
equipment from the Seguin unit was allocated to the 81st task force.

"We lost $163,000 to Wilson County," said Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold
Zwicke, who oversees his department's narcotics unit and advised county
commissioners against approving the proposed agreement to extend
territorial jurisdiction to the expanding 81st Task Force.

"I have a little heartburn with $163,000 leaving," the Seguin task force
and ending up at the 81st task force, Zwicke said. "Now we're going to be
asked to put money back into it [81st task force]. I can't go along with that."

The proposed agreement that was rejected by Guadalupe County commissioners
did not include any requests for funding. If the county decided to approve
the agreement, it would have had the discretion of assigning
law-enforcement personnel on the county payroll to the task force.

Other factors could affect the future of all multi-agency task forces,
according to DPS officials.

Availability of federal funds could change as an anticipated shift in
priorities toward Homeland Security draws more attention and money from
authorities in Washington. In Texas, federal funds earmarked for fighting
drug crimes are dispersed through the Office of the Governor's Criminal
Justice Division.

DPS Lt. Stan Bonewitz said the upcoming budget year that begins June 1
might bring "further restructuring and further refining of task forces,
which will allow for a larger pool of resources."

DPS and the 81st task force could open a Seguin office despite the lack of
cooperation from officials in Guadalupe County. A law-enforcement officer
working with a DPS agent would automatically be authorized to conduct
police work under the umbrella of jurisdiction that applies to the state's
police force.

"The DPS jurisdiction would extend to them [non-DPS officers]," Bonewitz said.

Bonewitz, who pointed out that the ultimate decision on expanding the 81st
task force will not be made by him, said the agency he works for has
successfully partnered with task forces and other law-enforcement agencies
throughout the state.

"Something I would always want to strive for is to foster a good,
cooperative working agreement with everyone," Bonewitz said.

"As a DPS officer, I don't have a turf war," Bonewitz continued after
Guadalupe County officials turned away the DPS request. "I'm just as
concerned with the drug problem in Guadalupe or Wilson [counties]."