Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jul 2005
Source: News-Enterprise, The (KY)
Copyright: 2005 News-Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1663
Author: Sarah Baker

STATE GRANTS REDUCE BUDGET CUTS FOR THE NARCOTICS TASK FORCE

The Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force will pull its belt half as
tight as expected this year.

The task force, funded by a federal justice assistance grant awarded
to Elizabethtown, was expecting a roughly $78,000 cut for the 2005-06
year. However, a one-time grant from the state's Office of Drug
Control Policy will pump $42,317 back into its coffers.

This week, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet passed out nearly $4
million in grants, including federal justice assistance grants and
money generated through DUI fines.

As expected, the narcotics task force received $152,221, compared to
about $230,000 last year.

Task force director Wayne Edwards said the agency cut about $11,000
from its budget and will use seized drug money to make up for part of
the decrease. But the drug money is not a steady source of funding, he
said.

For now, the extra state appropriation will keep the task force from
tapping all drug money and agencies in Hardin, Grayson and

Nelson counties -- the area covered by the force -- for money.

"There wasn't much fluff in our budget to begin with," Edwards said,
noting the agency took a $17,000 cut last year.

Some of the larger agency expenses include a building lease, vehicles
and payments to informants. Last year, the task force spent about
$30,000 on informants, Edwards said.

State officials wanted to make up for some of the federal budget cuts,
said Teresa Barton, executive director of the Office of Drug Control
Policy. About $500,000 in savings throughout the Justice and Public
Safety Cabinet was split between drug agencies across the state.

"It is a very high priority," she said.

Drug control is especially important now, considering a growing
methamphetamine problem in Kentucky. The meth presence, which Barton
called one of the worst problems law enforcement officials ever have
faced, has grown by 3,000 percent in the past seven years.

The Hodgenville and Radcliff departments also received grants this week.

Radcliff Police Department received one of 24 grants supported by the
Law Enforcement Fee program. The department was awarded $7,500, which
was generated through the $325 fine the state collects from everyone
convicted of a DUI, said Chris Gilligan, a spokesman for the Justice
and Public Safety Cabinet.

The department plans to use the money to outfit more cruisers with
cameras, said Cpt. Willie Wells. He estimated that the grant would pay
for three cameras. Eleven cars in the RPD's 30-car fleet already have
cameras.

The money must help officers fight drunken driving. Wells said it
will.

Last year, RPD made 144 DUI arrests with an 83 percent conviction
rate. A camera inside the officer's car was used in 32 of those cases.
The conviction rate soared to 99 percent for DUI arrests involving
camera equipment, which includes a portable microphone on the officer,
he said.

Wells wasn't sure what specific situations led to the higher
conviction rate, but said taped evidence is generally helpful.

"The tape is an invaluable piece of evidence," he said. "The tape
can't lie."

In addition, the Hodgenville Police Department received a $7,500
justice assistance grant to purchase equipment.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin