MON SHERIFF HOPES FEDS ARREST BUSH EFFORT TO CUT COPS GRANTS

Local law enforcement officers agree that a proposal by the Bush
administration to cut federal police funding could seriously hurt many West
Virginia departments.

Community Oriented Policing Services grants and funds from the Byrne grant
program have allowed the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department and the
Morgantown Police Department to step up manpower and build a drug task
force. If those funds are cut, the departments would certainly suffer,
authorities said.

"Cutting federal funding would have a devastating effect on law
enforcement, especially on small departments and municipalities," said
Sheriff Joe Bartolo. "It would definitely mean a reduction in a lot of
programs that the department would not be able to do without grant money."

Bartolo said there are five officers at the Sheriff's Department funded
through the COPS grant. The funding will run out in September. The County
Commission has agreed to assume the cost of those officers, but grant money
would still be needed for future programs.

Both the Sheriff's Department and Morgantown Police Department rely heavily
on the Byrne grant program to man the Mon Valley Drug Task Force. Cutting
those funds would be detrimental to combating drug problems in the area,
Bartolo and MPD Chief Robert Lucci agree.

"It would definitely hurt us, there's no doubt," Lucci said.

Bartolo said cutting funding for police programs could be especially
damaging to law enforcement in light of the terrrorist attacks on Sept. 11,
2001.

"Since what happened on September 11, all police agencies, this one
included, have been working to increase safety and security in our
communities," Bartolo said. "We here in Monongalia County are fortunate
enough to have a County Commission that realizes the importance of doing
that, but I'm certain that our budget couldn't stand to fund all of the
efforts we do."

Aside from losing manpower, departments could also no longer afford much of
their specialized equipment. The federal programs have helped fund more
than 110,000 new police officers, create crime labs and task forces, and
provide high-tech crime-fighting equipment.

Last year alone, the state received $4 million in Byrne grant money to
operate 14 drug task forces, five community crime prevention programs and
four treatment facilities, said Mike Cutlip, deputy director for the state
Division of Criminal Justice Services. The state was allocated $128,000
less this year.

Dramatic cuts that Bush proposed in both programs last year were restored
by Congress. This year, Bush has proposed deeper cuts that would drop
funding for the COPS program and Byrne grants from about $3.5 billion to $2
billion.

"(These cuts) will affect everyone in law enforcement in the counties and
the entire state," Bartolo said. "I think it would be a foolish move,
especially after what has happened recently and the reality of how the
world is today."

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS contributed to this report.