Pubdate: Thu, 31 Mar 2005
Source: Parkersburg News, The (WV)
Copyright: 2005, The Parkersburg News
Contact:  http://www.newsandsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1648
Author: Roger Adkins
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/budget+cuts

FEDERAL CUTS MAY AFFECT LOCAL DRUG TASK FORCE

PARKERSBURG - Future federal budget cuts may adversely affect the
local drug task force. West Virginia's share of funds from the Justice
Assistance Grant Program has fallen from $4.4 million in 2003 to $3.3
million for the fiscal year that begins July 1, said Michael Cutlip,
deputy director of the state agency.

The Bush administration wants to ''zero out'' the money the following
fiscal year and dedicate the funds to projects under the Department of
Homeland Security, he said.

Parkersburg police Chief Robert Newell, a member of the control group
that oversees the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force, said future budget
cuts could result in the downsizing of the local drug effort.

"I would suspect that departments in this area would continue with the
task force," Newell said. "But if the money is not there, it could
affect the number of people we have assigned to narcotics."

Newell said federal funds pay for the base salaries of task force
members. However, this does not include benefits. When the funding is
cut, local departments will have to foot the bill.

"The attitude is probably that local agencies need to take up the
slack," Newell said. "What would happen is it would put us in a
position to take officers away from drug investigations and put them
on the streets."

Though Parkersburg likely would keep its task force, smaller groups in
the state may have to disband.

Vienna police Chief Steve Stephens, also a member of the task force
control group, said future funding cuts will put a heavy burden on
local departments, especially smaller departments such as Vienna's.

"I believe that the PNTF will exist regardless of the funding. It's
just going to make our budgets a lot tighter as far as the money we
have to operate with," Stephens said.

Stephens said Vienna has only one officer on the task force and that
will not change. However, that officer's base salary is funded by
federal dollars.

Cutting funding for drug task forces will harm the effort to fight
drugs in local communities, Stephens said.

"I know the government dollars are getting tighter. Everybody has
their prerogative. The drug problem is of high relevance to today's
society. I think it would definitely interfere with the work the task
force does, but it wouldn't completely curtail their efforts," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin