LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TAKES HIT

Sled's Cutbacks Mean Reduction In Help With Drug, Alcohol Enforcement

Newberry -- With budget cuts in state law enforcement over the past three
years, Lee Foster is struggling to get by.

"I kinda equate it to walking on the edge of a cliff," the Newberry County
sheriff said. "One misstep and we could go off."

His jurisdiction -- and others like it across the state -- are feeling the
effects of the budget pinch imposed by the South Carolina General Assembly.

State budget cuts have hit all areas of government, including the State Law
Enforcement Division, the state's primary criminal investigative agency.

Overall, the agency's budget has been cut a total of 12 percent in the past
three years.

SLED's budget has been cut $8.8 million over that time, but a combination of
newly enacted state traffic fees and an infusion of federal dollars has
created the net effect of a $5 million cut.

That has forced SLED to scale back the assistance it offers to local law
enforcement agencies. One of the areas suffering is drug enforcement.

"We're not doing much street-level narcotics enforcement any more," SLED
Chief Robert Stewart said.

Foster's deputies have picked up some of that work, but his department has
been forced to borrow undercover officers -- who in the past have been
provided by SLED -- from other jurisdictions to help fight the war on drugs.

"Drugs are a problem everywhere," Foster said. "We spend a great deal of
time in drug enforcement simply because most crimes are attached to the drug
problem. A majority of burglaries, robberies and larceny are led by people
hooked on drugs."

The sheriff's chief worry, though, is alcohol enforcement -- another area in
which SLED is doing less because of budget cuts. Of particular concern is
underage drinking, now that school has started.

"We're just not set up for that," Foster said. "We don't have the manpower
to handle it, nor do we have the resources."

Although SLED will continue to do some alcohol enforcement, he said, "it's
just not going to be as widespread, which I think will have a major impact
on underage consumption."

SLED's alcohol agents have been used to check Newberry's night clubs to make
sure they were not pouring liquor out of large bottles or serving underage
drinkers. Now, that duty falls to the Newberry sheriff.

Foster, who has 33 commissioned officers, also works festivals, which drain
his manpower. So he relies on state constables to handle traffic control and
crack down on public drunkenness.

"We're doing triple duty," he said.

The situation would be worse if it weren't for SLED's willingness to take it
on the chin in some of these budget matters, Foster said. For instance,
Stewart has agreed to absorb the cost of the services of the FBI's National
Crime Information Center, which would normally be shared by local
jurisdictions.

NCIC is critical to local jurisdictions, Foster said. It's how police
officers check tag numbers on vehicles, locate stolen cars and find wanted
persons.

SLED scaled back other areas -- such as narcotics and alcohol enforcement --
so it could provide the services of NCIC, Foster said.

"We're hurting," he said, "but we had to take the lesser of the evils in the
budget fight. There are trade-offs."

Already, there is talk of a budget shortfall in the current fiscal year and
the possibility of even more spending cuts.

Foster says law enforcement simply cannot afford any more hits. He's
anything but optimistic about the future.

"From what I read, there's no hope on the horizon," Foster said. "There is a
general reluctance to raise any kind of tax as long as it's called a tax,
but I'm sure there are certain things the Legislature could do to try to
raise money to help.

"The reluctance to try to find revenue sources to make up the difference is
there and is strong, but I don't see the Legislature taking any steps other
than cutting."