AFTER THE FEDERAL FUNDS

Over the past several years, the Department of Homeland Security has handed out billions of dollars to communities to improve security and combat terrorism. The money was sometimes given out, however, without an adequate assessment of local agencies’ ability to pay for ongoing training, maintenance and upgrades necessary to make the original investment worthwhile. Nearly five years into the grant program, local officials should understand that the equipment comes with a local price tag as well, and if they are not willing or able to pay that price, they should forgo the federal funds.

Further, as the amount of homeland security grants shrinks and competition increases, federal officials should redouble their efforts to ensure that the money goes where there is a local commitment to maintain and staff the equipment.

The Washington Post recently reported that emergency officials in communities around Washington, D.C., struggled to pay maintenance costs and sometimes shelved equipment purchased with the DHS funds.

In 2003, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation spent $25 million to equip 400 bomb squads across the country with “Cobra kits” that would enable the teams to identify explosives. The kits included digital cameras and laptops so that officers on the scene could send images of the suspicious device to FBI bomb experts, while also looking up information on explosive and chemical and biological agents.

When the wireless service agreements ran out, however, many police departments shelved the kits, according to the Post. The Maine State Police received a Cobra kit, but now accesses the FBI database through its own computers.

Maine agencies have received more than $44 million in federal grants for security-related equipment since 2003, according to the Maine Emergency Management Agency. In the early days of the DHS grants, some grants may have been given without adequate concern to ongoing expenses, but with a new focus on regional preparedness, maintenance and training are a priority with funds set aside for these purposes, said MEMA spokeswoman Lynette Miller. The agency this year set aside $100,000 in federal funds from which regional teams are reimbursed for maintenance and training expenses.

A recently passed bill, authored by Sen. Susan Collins, requiring better oversight of the DHS grants will help even more. Emergency agencies will have to provide more details on how they will use the funds over the long term, and the Homeland Security Department can audit local agencies to ensure the grant money is used as intended.

It is not unexpected that problems arose after the hastily created department quickly gave out money. Those problems are getting smaller, but they should continue to be rectified when they arise.