Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
The omnibus spending bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Monday could mean the end of a sixcounty, two-Indian Reservation drug task force based in Havre. Lt. Jerry Nystrom, supervisor of the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force said Wednesday the appropriations includes a 67-percent cut in the Justice Assistance Grant moneys that are used to fund the task force. “That’s what funds all the wages for the guys who work (for the task force,) so if you cut it 67 percent it pretty well stifles the task force,” he said. Mark Thatcher, public safety bureau chief for the Montana Board of Crime Control and state coordinator for JAG funds, said this morning That Montana received about $1.2 million in JAG funds last year, 90 to 95 percent of which went to the seven drug task forces in the state. “If there’s a 67 percent decrease nationwide in JAG funds it could have a huge impact,” he said. According to a release from the National Criminal Justice Association, the JAG funding in the appropriations is set at $170.4 million, down from $416.5 million in fiscal year 2006 and $520 million in fiscal year 2007. Sara Kuban, press secretary for Montana’s Sen. Max Baucus, said the drop in JAG funding is disappointing and the senator will try to help the Montana task forces as much as possible. “Our law enforcement officers are fighting the good fight against drug use, and they deserve all the help we can give them,” Kuban said. “Sen. Baucus has been in contact with Drug Task Forces across the state and right now is focusing on getting as much of the remaining money into Big Sky Country as possible.” Comments from the offices of Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg were not available by deadline this morning. Nystrom said the Tri- Agency task force has been in operation for nearly 20 years, and has had a major impact on drug trafficking in the area. “It’s been tremendous,” he said. A statement released by Nystrom said the task force is working on 138 open cases, 121 of which were opened in 2007. In 2007, the task force seized more than 27 pounds of marijuana and 122 grams of cocaine, with a street value estimated at more than $148,000. It served 28 search warrants and made 94 arrests. A primary focus in recent years has been stopping trafficking and production of methamphetamine, the release said. Thatcher said he thinks it is too late to change the appropriation. “From what I’ve heard it’s a done deal,” he said. “It will probably go through the Senate. I don’t know where that’s at either.” He said what a 67 percent reduction will do is not clear at this point, and an impact statement will have to be written. “But it’s got to have a huge impact,” he added, saying that it is possible that some task forces will have to shut down. “We don’t have that for a fact yet,” Thatcher said. Thatcher said other possible sources of funding have not yet been identified. He said he doubts that Congress could be persuaded to make a special appropriation, and while other grant sources might be available, none have been found yet. “That’s possible. At this point we haven’t identified anything yet.”
