PUEBLO SELECTED BY DEA FOR PILOT ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM

Pueblo has been selected as the sixth city in the nation by the federal
Drug Enforcement Administration to become part of its "Idea" pilot program
for developing a community-wide strategy for combating illegal drug use.

Pam Brown, a DEA special agent, explained the Integrated Drug Enforcement
Assistance Program to City Council at its work session Monday night. The
DEA's decision to select Pueblo means the federal agency intends to help
local volunteers and agencies develop a strategic plan for reducing drug use.

Brown said that plan could open the door for Pueblo organizations to obtain
federal grants for various programs, but said the main effort is to
mobilize the local community.

"What we are looking for from Pueblo is a willingness for people to
volunteer and commit the time and effort to the community strategy," Brown
said when asked if the city needed to provide matching funds to participate
in the federal program.

She said the DEA has began the program earlier this year in three "pilot"
cities - Portsmouth, Va.; Allentown, Pa.; and North Charleston, S.C. Since
then, two other cities - Springfield, Mo., and Mobile, Ala. - have been
added to the list. Pueblo would be the sixth city to participate.

Brown said the DEA would dedicate a special agent to work with the city for
the first year of the project. The first step will be to convene a
community-wide "drug summit" in February to begin developing a plan.

While council was pleased at being selected by DEA for the program,
Councilman Pat Avalos noted that much of the anti-drug effort in the city
is carried on by local nonprofit organizations, which have been targeted in
City Manager Lee Evett's budget recommendations to lose city funding next year.

Avalos and other council members have indicated they will maintain funding
for those groups next year, but he emphasized that it would be pointless
for the DEA to begin organizing a community-wide effort if the existing
agencies are hampered by a loss in city funding.