Thursday, December 02, 2004

Drug task forces' Byrne grants cut

The ins and outs of federal grant funding rules seem like a boring topic, but given this blog's interest in Tulia-style drug task forces, it's worth paying attention.

In all the national flap over the intelligence budget, I'd not seen it reported until yesterday that the final budget cuts to the federal Byrne grant program -- which funds regional drug task forces like the ones in Tulia, Hearne, Palestine, and Seguin -- were also included in the omnibus federal budget passed November 20.

The Bowling Green Daily News summarized the outcome thusly:

"There will be a $400 million cut in funds for the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant Program, Local Law Enforcement Block Grant and Community-Oriented Policing Grant during fiscal year 2005, as voted on Nov. 20 by the U.S. legislature in the omnibus appropriations bill. That’s 24.4 percent less than last year.

"The Byrne Grant and LLEBG will be combined into one program – the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. While separated, the two received a total of $884 million in funding. The newly combined JAG will receive only $634 million, and the COPS grant has been reduced from $756 million to $606 million."

In Texas, more than 90 percent of Byrne grant funding goes to finance regional narcotics task forces, so if the overall available pot of money declines by 24%, some task force funding by definition must be cut. Several have gone under in the past year. Ideally, though, local government will see the writing on the wall and start to request Byrne money for more productive programs.

The new federal budget incorporated new rules about what Byrne grants may be spent on -- Congress reduced the number of categories and broadened them considerably, adopting the rules proposed by Chairman Sensenbrenner in H.R. 3036. Those new categories are:

        (A) Law enforcement programs.
        (B) Prosecution and court programs.
        (C) Prevention and education programs.
        (D) Corrections and community corrections programs.
        (E) Drug treatment programs.
        (F) Planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs.

Those categories are unbelievably broad, leaving states tremendous leeway how to spend the money. Most if not all the categories previously allowable can still be financed under these new rules. They'll be spending less on them, though.

The reduction in funding and the recent task force dissolutions provide Governor Perry's Criminal Justice Division an opportunity to redirect Byrne grant funding if they wanted, to more effective programs that work. It doesn't make a lot of sense to stick with the same failed strategies.


persond said...

To Consider Drug Task Forces as failures is a frivilous and unjustified statement. If Drug Task forces didn't exists, imagine what our communities would be like this day in time, If at least 1 out of ten suspects are apprehended that is progress. for those of you that are outsiders and don't really have the first hand knowledge of how much of an epidemic or should I label it as a plague that illegal narcotics and street drugs have become. As a Law Enforcemnet Officer and Drug Task Force Agent I can relate to you that over fifty percent of other crimes i.e. (burgalaries, thefts, gangs, homicides/ murders, counterfeiting, etc.) are related to illegal drug trafficking. Todays epidemic is clearly methamphetamine, but even more of the other illegal narcotics that have lied dormant for the last few years are beginnining to resurface. However, the idea of channeling the drug traffickers, users, and manufactures through drug courts into rehab and treatment programs is only a temporary fix and a gamble.This idea will only send a message to the makers and dealers of the illiegal drugs that it's o.k to make and deal the drugs and that they don't have to worry about having to serve time in prson and the real fact still remain that in order for the courts to have recipients for the newly developed programs such as drug treatment facilities, The Task of apprehending the suspects still remain. Obviously if the Drug Task Forces are disbanned or even reduced due to the lack of funding, that the existing epidemic will escalate. Particularly in our rural communities. The Multi- Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces have depended up the Edward Byrnes Grant for many many years and the Task Forces have been successful in properly utilizing the funds to combat the war on illegal narcotics. It's obvious that if one would review statistics pertaining to the number of suspects that have been apprehended, prosecuted and taken out of the chain that one would consider that as progress. Over all it would be considered as unfair that the rural communities be deprived of their only relied upon source(Drug Task Forces)to combat their worst enemy(illegal drugs). That can and will impact upon the future of the younger generation. The majority of the smaller/rural local law enforcement agencies (City, County etc. don't possess the man power nor the finacial assets to support and maintain a individual narcotics unit.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

You wrote: "Obviously if the Drug Task Forces are disbanned or even reduced due to the lack of funding, that the existing epidemic will escalate."

I've reviewed the task force reporting, and they all say drug activity increased every year since they were created. I've never seen one say they've caused a decline. Haven't y'all been "sending a message"? The flaw in your reasoning is that, based on your strategy, no one is "taken out of the chain." They just come back to town a year or two later with a felon label, unable to get work or a place to live, and they're still drug addicted. You've solved nothing. It's time for a smarter approach.