Severe funding cuts threaten drug enforcement

AUGUSTA – Federal drug task force funding of about $600,000 announced this week was exactly the amount Maine public safety officials expected – but far less than the state has received in the past.

Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said he remains hopeful that the funding can still be restored at least to last year’s level, but he also is worried the decrease could drastically affect his operations.

“This is an issue that’s critical for public safety,” McKinney said Friday by telephone. “The state’s drug problems are not going away, and we face many more challenges than we did just a few years ago.”

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant program from the U.S. Department of Justice has helped fund drug enforcement agencies in Maine and other states for years. In 2004, Maine received about $3 million in federal funding, but by last year the number dropped to about $916,000. This year’s earmark was only $642,630.

“We’re continuing to work with all members of Maine’s congressional delegation to look at restoring the funding to last year’s level or to find other sources,” McKinney said. “But this [decrease in funding] is impacting every state.”

McKinney said he didn’t want to speculate how the funding shortfall would affect state operations, but it’s likely that multijurisdictional task forces would be hit the hardest. The Hancock County Drug Task Force, for instance, has relied heavily on that funding to investigate drug cases Down East. Sheriff William Clark said recently that if the county had to pick up the costs to cover the task force, it likely would have to fold.

McKinney said he hopes that doesn’t have to happen.

“I’d like to remain positive, but when you remove such a large sum of money at the same time our costs are going up,” he said.

The cuts are said to be the result of the Bush administration’s opposition to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, which is where the money comes from. For the 2007 federal budget year, Congress appropriated $520 million for the program nationwide, but for the current federal budget year, the appropriation is for just $170 million.

U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, whose office announced the funding this week, said he was pleased the funding moved forward but was disappointed at the levels.

“Michaud has led the fight in Congress to fully fund the program so that states have more resources to fund projects,” a statement read.

More and more, McKinney said, Maine’s drug trade has had a ripple effect in other areas, most significantly in violent crime.

“If things don’t change, we’d be looking at a real policy shift,” he said.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

990-8167