Restore Crime and Drug Prevention Funding to State and Local Law Enforcement
Dear Leaders of Congress,
We are writing to you to express our grave concern about the proposed 67% cut to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program (Byrne JAG). The $170 million provided for Byrne JAG in the FY’08 Omnibus Appropriations bill means $350 million dollars in cuts and elimination for many programs. Our states, communities, and cities cannot fill this gap. The National Conference of State Legislatures urges you to restore crime and drug prevention funding to State and Local law enforcement.
State lawmakers from across the country recognize the importance of Byrne JAG and the thousands of criminal justice programs it maintains. These programs provide flexibility, innovation, and cooperation vital to a holistic law enforcement approach statewide. The Byrne JAG program provides direct assistance to local law enforcement and states for a broad spectrum of programs, many of which will be dissolved this year due to a 67% funding cut. These programs are vital to community policing and law enforcement efforts.
Two types of funding streams are maintained by the Byrne JAG dollars. Byrne JAG provides direct local aid to law enforcement officers on the ground for task forces, equipment, vehicles, computers, and communication devices that many simply lack the funding to implement. These funds are especially valuable to small states and rural law enforcement efforts on the front-line of the Methamphetamine crisis. Local law enforcement task forces have made tremendous strides in combating illegal drugs and gangs. A recent study found that Byrne JAG funded programs have led to 220,000 arrests, the seizure of 54,000 weapons; and destruction of 5.5 million grams of methamphetamine, and the elimination of almost 9,000 methamphetamine labs. For example, the state of Iowa has experienced 54% cut in Federal Byrne-JAG funding from FY 05 to FY 07. During that same period of time, seizures of Meth labs and equipment in Iowa dropped 82%.
Byrne JAG also supports programs to prevent violent crime and build strong communities. Competitive grant programs on the State level use Byrne JAG funds for prosecutors, community-based prisoner re-entry programs, identity theft investigation, school violence prevention, crime victims services, courtroom dockets and juvenile intervention programs. Byrne JAG money is used for crime labs and technicians to address the daunting backlogs of evidence processing and “cold case” units bringing renewed hope to families. These programs are embedded in the community, creating jobs, and facing elimination. In the last Byrne JAG funding cycle, New York State supported 237 projects resulting in nearly 3,000 arrests, $7 million in assets seized; over 16,000 children received drug abuse prevention education, gang awareness training and anti-violence instruction; the identification of 31 wanted individuals; and nearly 300 parolees participated in programs providing substance abuse treatment, employment training and placement, mental health counseling, family assistance and other services. Under the current budget, these New York State programs will loose $11 million.
The breadth and magnitude of the 67% cutbacks will effect every community large and small. State and local governments are unable to fill the $350 million void left by these cuts. For the health and safety of States and communities, NCSL strongly urges the restoration of the Byrne JAG programs to at least the FY 07 funding levels.
Thank you for considering our views. Should you or your staff have additional questions regarding NCSL’s position, please contact Susan Parnas Frederick (202-624-3566, susan.frederick@ncsl.org) or Emily Taylor (202-624-3586, emily.taylor@ncsl.org) of the NCSL staff.
Sincerely,
Joni Cutler
State Representative, South Dakota
Chair, NCSL Law and Criminal Justice Committee |
Janice Pauls
State Representative, Kansas
Vice Chair, NCSL Law and Criminal Justice Committee |
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