Attorneys General Call on Congress to Restore Funding for Front-Line Crime and Drug Enforcement Efforts

WASHINGTON, March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Calling the funding essential to the operation of state crime and drug enforcement efforts, the 56 Attorneys General from all jurisdictions of the United States today issued a letter calling on Congressional leaders to restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.

Byrne-JAG is currently the only source of funding available to local and state law enforcement for multijurisdictional drug enforcement, including methamphetamine initiatives, and is a critical source of funds for drug courts, law enforcement collaboration, gang prevention, and prisoner reentry programs.

In FY 2007, the Byrne-JAG program was funded at $520 million. For FY 2008, the Senate had originally funded the Byrne-JAG program at $660 million and the House at $600 million in their respective appropriations bills. However, in the omnibus FY 2008 appropriations bill signed into law in December of 2007, the Byrne-JAG program funding was cut to $170 million for the coming year - a 67 percent decrease from 2007 funding levels.

Attorneys General assert in their letter that these cuts would devastate state law enforcement efforts by shutting down multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, requiring layoffs of police and prosecutors, and cutting funding to programs proven to assist drug-addicted citizens in becoming productive members of society.

The effort to restore funding has been spearheaded by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, and Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann.

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said, "It's a fact of life that many of our multi-jurisdictional task forces are heavily dependent on federal funding. Precipitous cuts in that funding without several years of advance notice will wreak havoc on our anti-gang and anti-drug efforts."

"Byrne-JAG funding has fueled successful drug investigations and prosecutions across the nation, resulting in a substantial reduction of drugs on our streets," said Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe. "If these cuts are not restored, years of progress in fighting drug trafficking will come to an end. Drug traffickers will undoubtedly view this as a green light to increase operations."

"During the 1990's, crime steadily declined due to the large injection of federal funding to local law enforcement through JAG and COPS grant funding. Since 2001, grant funding for local law enforcement has declined from approximately $5 billion a year to about half that amount today. The impact has been devastating to local law enforcement. Drug task forces in Mississippi are the front line defense for our children yet these deeps cuts in federal funds have perhaps subjected another generation to a life of crime," said Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said, "Byrne funds are critical in our fight against drugs and violent crimes. If funding isn't restored, we'll see more criminals on our streets, more drugs in our neighborhoods and innocent people paying the price."

"At a time when crime and criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, local law enforcement needs more help than ever from the federal government to keep our communities safe," Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann said. "Unfortunately, the proposed cuts in the Byrne-JAG program will make an already difficult job more challenging in the years ahead."

"That is why I am proud to join with my colleagues from across the United States in calling on Congress to restore funding for this vital program so that local officials, police chiefs, and officers on the streets will have the resources they need to keep Ohio's neighborhoods safe and secure," Mr. Dann concluded.