DRUG CONNECTION

Facing Uncertain Funding, Task Forces Seek Right Mix

Whenever Lauderdale County Sheriff-elect Ronnie Willis investigates a case,
a thought crosses his mind.

It doesn't matter if the crime is a theft, burglary, homicide or assault,
Willis knows that odds are the crime is probably connected to drug use.

Authorities throughout the area say the same thing.

"If we didn't have drugs as a problem, then we wouldn't have the spinoffs
of thefts, violent crimes and other cases involved in drug purchases and
getting money for drugs," said Colbert County District Attorney Gary
Alverson. "We'd have practically no cases to worry about. That's true of
most everywhere in the country."

Two agencies - the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force and Colbert County
Drug Task Force - have full-time officers dedicated to fighting drug use
and drug deals in the Shoals.

There are four agents and a secretary in Colbert, and five agents in
Lauderdale, according to the task forces.

The task forces have taken on different forms over the years. At one time,
there was a single task force for much of north Alabama. At another time,
there was a Shoals task force. Another time, the Muscle Shoals Police
Department was part of a Lauderdale task force.

Willis is fresh off last week's election as Lauderdale's sheriff. He said
it is too early to know whether the Lauderdale task force will again change
forms, although he isn't ruling it out.

In an interview with the TimesDaily's editorial board during his campaign
for sheriff, Willis said he was considering the idea of having the
sheriff's department form its own task force next year when the countywide
task force's grant runs out.

Willis now says he intends to discuss the matter with other task force
agencies once he is sworn in as sheriff in January.

"I want to get with them before putting my two cents in," Willis said.
"I'll be looking at options and want to make the right decision to help the
citizens of Lauderdale County in the fight against drugs."

Florence police, the Lauderdale district attorney's office, the

Lauderdale sheriff's office and University of North Alabama police are
members of the Lauderdale agency.

Grants and local funds The task forces operate on annual Justice Department
grants, distributed by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community
Affairs.

The current grant runs through March 31, 2003, Florence Deputy Chief Tony
Logan said. "So, any decision would have to be made at that point."

Logan said he is pleased with the way the task force is operating and
hasn't heard discussions about changes at task force board meetings. "The
agencies seem to do a good job working well together."

The federal grant for this 12-month operation is $168,500, Logan said.
Members of the task force match that with a combined $56,166, for a total
of $224,666.

Willis said the one major benefit he sees in having separate task forces
for Florence and Lauderdale County involves detecting other crimes
connected to drug busts.

"Your drug man could work with investigators in your department to be able,
for example, to recover stolen goods connected with the drug purchases,"
Willis said.

"Most break-ins are drug-related, but the drug officer just works drugs, so
he wouldn't know about the stolen items, unless an investigator who is not
with the drug task force is with him."

Willis said the major benefit of having a countywide task force like the
existing one in Lauderdale is more people work drug cases together.

Having only one task force in the county also helps prosecutors in the
courtroom, said Doug Evans, Lauderdale's chief assistant district attorney.

"It concentrates all the drug cases into one force," Evans said. "That
gives the officers experience in that area, which helps in a case."

Alverson said it works well to have one drug task force per circuit, which
in Colbert and Lauderdale's case means one task force in each county.

"The prosecutor in that circuit is going to handle all the cases," he said.

The Colbert task force received $213,333 to operate this year, Alverson
said. That includes a federal grant of $160,000, with local governments
providing the remaining money.

Strength in numbers It would be difficult for cities the size of Sheffield,
Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals to each have a full-time agent assigned to drug
cases, Alverson said. That is another advantage of a countywide task force.
"Unless an agency is very large, you can't justify a full-time narcotics
worker."

The task forces in Colbert and Lauderdale often work together. "Drug
dealers don't care where someone's jurisdiction ends and another one's
starts," Alverson said. "They'll sell drugs wherever they can."

The Colbert task force involves the district attorney's office, sheriff's
office, and police departments in Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Sheffield,
Littleville, Leighton and Cherokee, Sheriff Ronnie May said. "The task
force updates the agencies quarterly on what they're buying and where
they're buying."

The Colbert grant runs through May 31, 2003, May said. About 60 felony drug
arrests have been made since this year's grant started June 1.

May said a countywide task force works well. He said larger ones that
incorporate multiple counties have caused problems in the past, because
there are too many bosses for a handful of workers.

Large task forces also bring logistical problems, such as trying to keep up
with drug traffic in several counties, May said. He said there also is the
concern that one county might feel it's not getting enough attention,
compared to other counties in a task force region.

Colbert officials say they generally are pleased with their task force and
don't have plans to change its makeup.

Sheffield Police Chief Doug Aycock remembers the days of a six-county task
force. He said that was too large an area, and he remembers turf wars
developing among agencies.

"Better results have been obtained by having it countywide," Evans said.

"You know your local area better than you do an area that's 80 miles away."

Avoiding temptations Philip Carlan, assistant professor of criminal justice
at the University of North Alabama, likes the idea of multi-jurisdictional
task forces like Lauderdale and Colbert have. The thought of smaller task
forces, or individual agencies handling drug cases on their own, troubles him.

Carlan said if one agency had its own drug officers, with no other agencies
overseeing them, that could lead to problems. "Anytime you start talking
about deunifying, it's trouble."

Carlan said it is easier to fall into corrupt ways when everything stays in
one agency.

He said nobody - even a police officer - should be placed in a tempting
situation, where they know they wouldn't get turned in for doing something
wrong.

"It's not really always about the people," Carlan said. "It's about the
structure.

"Putting a police officer in that position is wrong," he said. "The easier
you make it to be lured into corruption, the less fair it is on the
officer, because he would be the one who would get in trouble if he did
something illegal.

"People who are attracted to policing are good people, but some are put in
a bad situation."

Carlan said it is that way in any profession, especially one that offers
temptations such as large sums of money.

He said he doesn't mean to imply there is anything corrupt going on
locally, but he wants officers to be able to avoid a situation that
provides easy temptation.

There is a lot of money and property involved in seizures. That helps pay
for operations and other things, such as training.

David Scogin, head of the Lauderdale Drug Task Force, said they also have
accumulated more than $100,000 in forfeitures in the past three years.

They also have seized 15-20 vehicles, Scogin said. Some are used by agents
in surveillance missions.

"We've seen everything from a $30,000 vehicle to a $200 vehicle. It seems
it's always the best type of vehicle or the worst - nothing in between."

Alverson said close to $100,000 in task force forfeitures have been
obtained. That money has been used to help provide funds for the task force
grants.

Seizures aren't always just money and vehicles. Alverson knows of cases in
which property and construction equipment were seized.

Weapons and drugs also are common seizures, Scogin said.

"We've gotten over 100 handguns off the street during search warrants," he
said.

The future May said task force grants are highly competitive. He said
seizures and case numbers are carefully studied by ADECA when the agency
considers how to hand out the grants.

Tom Goree, director of law enforcement programs for ADECA, said another
factor is available federal money. "If we get a cut in funding, we have to
pass that on."

Goree said ADECA received about $7 million from the Justice Department for
task forces, which was about 2 percent less than the previous year.

He said the state generally receives about $1 in federal funds for every $5
it requests.

A national emphasis has been placed on homeland security since the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Goree said. He has heard rumors about that
emphasis changing the amount of money drug agencies receive.

Goree doesn't know if that would mean less funding because the money would
be redirected, or more money for the agencies, with an emphasis on
anti-terrorist training. "It's no secret that terrorist groups are financed
through drug money."

That will be decided by Congress next year, he said.

Training is important to task forces, because the types of drugs used and
their sources frequently change.

Evans said crack cocaine has been a major problem, but methamphetamine
seems to be becoming the newest big problem.

Often, information obtained by one drug task force at a training session is
shared with others.

"County drug task forces should be able to work cooperatively without
worrying about who makes the most cases, or who gets the credit," May said.

"The Shoals is so close, there should be good communications, and there is."