NCJ Number
222969
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2008 Pages: 92,94-96,98,99
Date Published
April 2008
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article examines the consequences of and reasons for the Bush administration's proposed cuts in the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) program for multijurisdictional drug enforcement task forces.
Abstract
The Byrne-JAG received $173 million for formula grants and $187 million for discretionary grants in 2008. A $160-million decrease in funding is proposed for 2009. Gary Kendall, director of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, attributes the reduced funding to the Federal Government's skepticism about spending Federal money on what it views as a "local" law enforcement problem. Kendall and others, however, view their jurisdictions' drug problems as rooted in international and interstate drug trafficking. In Iowa, as in most States, 95 percent of the drugs sold locally come from Mexico or the southwestern United States. John Groves, chief of reserve detectives for the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department (Missouri) blames funding cuts on a flawed system that measures success by the reduction in a particular drug's sales. When "success" is achieved in reducing a priority, targeted drug, then policymakers assume money can be shifted to other more pressing issues. This perspective fails to appreciate that drug traffickers are flexible and innovative in devising new ways to traffic and market a variety of drugs. Communities across the country are already feeling the effects of diminished funding. Tony Wheatley, who heads the Mid-Missouri Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force, reports his organization once employed 11 individuals to oversee 2,500 miles of drug-trafficking routes; now just 6 officers cover 4,000 miles of expanded routes due to Federal funding cuts. A few weeks ago, top law enforcement executives from 45 States lobbied Congress to resurrect Byrne-JAG monies. If their efforts are successful, Congress may restore some funding in its supplemental funding bill. If unsuccessful, law enforcement's options are limited.