TASK FORCE SEEKS FUNDS

The 15th Judicial District Drug Task Force is asking the communities
in its four-county area to help make up a $30,000 shortfall in
federal funding.

The task force falls under the purview of 15th Judicial District
Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II of Danville, and covers Logan,
Scott, Conway and Yell counties. Tatum said there are four task
force staff members -- Director Joe Patterson, a certified officer
who also works in the field, two field agents and a secretary/bookkeeper.

"Essentially, we're working four counties with three men," Tatum said.

Tatum said his agency tries to serve as an informational resource
and to aid agencies inside the 15th District as well as work with
others, including the Fort Smith area agency. Most of the
sheriff's offices don't have personnel to dedicate to
full-time drug enforcement, he said.

15th Judicial District Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Eric Wells of
Booneville said he thinks the Drug Task Force "is critical in the
15th Judicial District -- to have the extra law enforcement help.
Meth is a blight on our country and especially in our community."

Tatum said if the task force doesn't make up the $30,000 cutback, it
would have to cut back services somewhere, possibly by eliminating
an agent or by not sending agents into the field as often. Fuel and
salaries are the agency's biggest expenses, and the rise in gas
prices has "really squeezed" the budget, he said.

So far, the task force has raised about $20,000. Yell County gave
$10,000. Conway County contributed $3,500. The cities of Morrilton,
Dardanelle, and most recently, Paris, each committed to $2,500,
Tatum said. A request is pending to the Logan County Quorum Court, he said.

A few grants helped with equipment purchases. Yell County provides
the agency's building, Tatum said.

"All my sheriffs, Cody Carpenter of Scott County, Steve Smith of
Logan County, Mike Smith of Conway County, Bill Gilkey of Yell
County, have loaned us vehicles when we broke down. They've all been
very supportive," Tatum said.

The 15th District's task force isn't alone in its funding woes.

At one time, the federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance
Grant program funded all the state's drug task forces, Tatum said.
Four years ago, Congress cut the 15th District's funding by
one-third, he said. That was never replaced, and two years ago, it
made a smaller cut, Tatum said.

"So we've been operating since on 65 to 70 percent of our previous
funding," Tatum said.

The start of the funding drought pre-dates the Iraq war, but in his
opinion, he said, drug task force funding is becoming more difficult
with the war funding and with federal funding sources drying up.

Cutbacks in Byrne funding are affecting agencies nationwide.

In November, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt called the federal cuts
unacceptable in the fight against methamphetamine in rural Missouri
and announced that the state would supplement drug task force
funding by $1.8 million.

In March 2006, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., joined senators Mark
Dayton, D-Minn., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., in proposing a budget
amendment that would restore the drug task force funding to the $900
million level it was at in 2003. President Bush had proposed
eliminating Byrne grant funding altogether in the 2007 budget.

Tatum said he joined other prosecuting attorneys in a trip to
Washington and they were able to maintain funding then. But on the
prosecutors' return, he said, they thought it advisable to do
something locally to help alleviate the funding issue.

Wells said in its past session, the state Legislature passed two
acts to help fund the drug task forces through a special assessment
fee on people convicted of drug crimes.

State Rep. John Paul Wells, D-Paris, sponsored the bills that became
acts 1086 and 1090. They levy district and circuit court fees of
$125 against anyone convicted of or entering guilty or no-contest
pleas to misdemeanor and felony drug offenses. The collected fees go
to Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration for deposit
into the State Drug Crime Enforcement and Prosecution Grant Fund.

Under the acts, grant awards require a minimum 20 percent local
match and must be used for items like salaries, overtime,
maintenance and general operations, evidentiary drug buys, informant
and witness compensation, training, fuel. Act 1090 appropriates $5.5
million for the purpose for the biennial period ending June 30, 2009.

Tatum cautioned that it will take years to build up the fund.

The 15th District had planned ahead.

When he first took office, several people told him they were worried
about the federal funding, Tatum said. So the agency began saving in
anticipation. As a result, the 15th Judicial District agency wasn't
as harshly affected as others in the first couple years of reduced
funding, he said.