Published: December 28, 2007 11:31 pm      

Federal funding cuts threatening task force

After just five months of operation, the Central Kentucky Area Drug Task Force is facing “devastating” funding cuts for the upcoming year — the result of a 67 percent cut to federal Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program monies.

President George W. Bush signed an omnibus appropriations bill Wednesday which cut $350 million in funding from the program, leaving only $170 million nationwide. Byrne-JAG “provides funding to states and local areas to improve criminal justice system operations,” according to a National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition press release.

In Madison County, it provides $75,000 of the CKADTF’s $110,000 annual budget, said Director Rick Johnson.

“This cut will be devastating to the task force,” he said. “We have made a big impact on drug traffickers and people making methamphetamine in the area. A lot of the cases that have been worked by the task force are mid- to upper-level drug dealers and some of the cases have a nexus to other states. The task force has been actively involved in investigations in other jurisdictions that are affecting the central Kentucky area.

“These cuts are going to make an already hard and challenging job even more difficult,” Johnson said.

CKADTF is comprised of detectives from Madison, Clark, Jackson and Garrard counties and the Berea Police Department. The money awarded to the task force for fiscal year 2007 funds operational costs, including rent, utilities, phone lines and office equipment in addition to money to purchase evidence and pay confidential informants, Johnson said.

The remaining $35,000 of the budget is supplemented by state funds — which also could be reduced in the wake of a request Thursday from Gov. Steve Beshear for all state funded agencies to cut their budgets by 3 percent. Friday, Johnson said it is unclear exactly what the agency will end up with for the 2008 fiscal year.

“We’re going to look at a couple different options to try to keep the doors open if that happens,” Johnson said. “We may have to scale back our operations, but there is not really any fat there to trim. I think we can survive fiscal year 2008 if the cuts are not too drastic. If it’s longer than that, I don’t think we’ll be able to continue as we are.”

Since beginning in July, CKADTF has seized $24,352, more than one pound of methamphetamine, 77 marijuana plants, about 7.5 pounds of processed pot, 15 grams of cocaine, 1,645 dose units of Oxycontin, three dose units of Methadone, 25 dose units of Valium, several dose units of hydrocodone and numerous other drugs, Johnson said.

While the fate of the task force as it is today could be in limbo, Madison County Sheriff Nelson O’Donnell said drug enforcement in Madison County is not. O’Donnell and Berea Police Chief Dwayne Brumley already have begun discussing possible options for continuing illegal drug eradication efforts in Madison County, O’Donnell said.

“I think it is unfortunate that this happened at the time it did,” O’Donnell said. “But I want the people of Madison County to know they will have a narcotics unit in Madison County.”

Kelly Foreman can be reached at kforeman@richmondregister.com or 624-6694.