FUNDING CUTS PUT CRUNCH ON DRUG BATTLE

With crystal methamphetamine becoming an ever-increasing problem in
Marshall County, those tackling the fight against this drug are having to
do so with less funding.

Drug Enforcement Unit Director Rob Savage, who's just completed his first
year in the position, said he's faced some unique challenges since
ascending to the post. Probably his toughest challenge was a cut in grant
money the unit received this year through the Alabama Department of
Economic and Community Affairs, leaving the DEU having to find funding.

"The biggest challenge we're facing in the new year is finding the money
that will be required to respond to this problem," Savage said.

Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall, who oversees the DEU,
said drug task forces across Alabama have experienced a loss in funding
from ADECA because the agency has been forced to divert funds, which would
have been awarded for narcotics interdiction, to homeland security.

"This is a significant worry for us because a majority of the unit's
funding comes through ADECA," Marshall said.

It's not just this year that the snit has taken a hit in funding from
ADECA. The same thing has happened the past two years as well.

"The last three years the unit has performed at a very high level, but
across the board the money has been less each year for all task forces in
Alabama. If that trend continues, it will put us in a very difficult situation.

"We're at the point now where any other significant loss of funding could
restrict the number of personnel we're able to have," Savage said.

While the current funding allows the unit to maintain its staff of one
director, four agents, a pilot and an administrative assistant, Marshall
said because personnel takes up such a large portion of their budget, that
would be the likely line item for any cuts to be made.

"Nobody wants that to happen, but it's something we have to look at,"
Marshall said.

In addition to the funds the DEU receives from ADECA, they also get money
from the four major cities in the county -- Albertville, Arab, Boaz,
Guntersville -- and the Marshall County Commission, each of which provides
$20,000, an amount which has remained unchanged since the inception of the
unit despite the fact costs have increased.

While Savage and Marshall struggle with the possibility of making personnel
cuts, they are also aware of another problem lurking in the shadows.

Although the DEU is charged with the duty of combating meth, cocaine,
crack, marijuana and Ecstasy -- which Marshall expects will be the next big
drug problem for Marshall County -- they are having to do so with
antiquated equipment.

Agents have a substantial amount of firepower with which they are equipped;
however, other weapons in their arsenal -- surveillance and
evidence-gathering equipment -- are behind the times.

The catch is Savage cannot expend a dime of the grant money from ADECA on
equipment.

"That is not a line item in our budget," he said. Recent experiences have
shown Savage and the DEU agents they need newer, more
technologically-advanced equipment if they plan to stay on top of the drug
problem in the county. Savage said on more than one occasion they have
discovered suspects under investigation have better counter-surveillance
equipment than the unit does.

"The challenge for us is not to fall any further behind," Savage said.

Marshall said the Unit is challenged to use their current equipment to
collect the evidence required by not only the court system but jurors as well.

"The expectation, especially among jurors, is high. They watch TV shows
like 'CSI' and 'Law and Order' and expect us to have the same kind of
high-tech equipment. Well, that's a TV world. That's not reality," Marshall
said.

Under federal and state law, the DEU can seize property and cash recovered
from operations; however, because of problems unique to fighting crystal
meth, they have been unable to take control of a significant amount of
property.

Marshall said oftentimes the unit is unable to seize cars or property which
has been utilized by meth users due to the fact they have been exposed to
dangerous chemicals, a liability for anyone wanting to take control of the
property.

"This creates a unique enforcement problem for us because inhibits our
ability to create funds," Marshall said.

While fundraising may seem like an option for the unit, it actually is not.
The DEU agents can accept donations, but they cannot actively solicit them.

This year, the DEU received some much-appreciated assistance from two
sources: the Marshall County Commission which agreed to purchase several
pieces of equipment for the Unit, and members of the Marshall County
Leadership Challenge which provided a set of hard points which will allow
agents to rappel from a helicopter for easier access into a scene.

Marshall and Savage hope such instances of generosity will continue in the
new year as agents wrestle with a problem which appears to be getting worse.

"Marshall County's No. 1 drug problem is crystal meth; therefore, it gets
most of our attention. We do not look away from any drug being used...but
we have no indications at this point that the meth problem has, or will,
level off. If we could see some leveling off instead of a continual rise,
nothing would make us happier," Savage said.