"It's a big cut - two-thirds of our funding is gone," Moore said. "That concerns us greatly. We are, however, confident we are going to get the lion's share of what we got last year."
Moore said because of the progress the task force has made and the excellence the task force has shown, Moore hopes they will do well with funding.
DeLynn Fudge, Federal Grants Division Director for the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council, on Tuesday said the state's drug task forces received $4.1 million in Justice Assistance Grants last year. But this year that amount has been slashed. Fudge said this year they could receive just $1.3 million.
That money would be used to fund the 22 drug task forces statewide, which cover the vast majority of counties in the state. Moore's task force covers four counties, including Sequoyah County.
"It's a definite cut," Fudge said, adding that while they haven't received a federal allocation, their estimates are based on a formula of how much they anticipate they will receive.
Federal dollars are what fund the task forces, and currently there are 58 employees statewide who are funded by that federal money, Fudge said. She anticipated that could be reduced to 22 people, essentially leaving one person per task force.
"People are going to lose their jobs," Fudge said.
Moore said his understanding is that everyone across the board won't be cut by two-thirds, but that it will first be determined where the funding will best be spent. Moore said his task force received $130,737 in federal funding this past year, and most of that money goes toward salaries.
Moore doesn't expect for his task force to see a cut of two-thirds, but he noted that other drug task forces in the state could be eliminated. "I don't believe it will be District 27," he said.
But Moore was quick to point out that his speculations are just that - educated guesses based on information he has received.
"I am optimistic we will be funded," Moore said, adding that he knows it won't be as much as last year but he is optimistic they will be able to survive what cuts come their way.
Moore's task force has 10 employees on the payroll, but that number also includes employees given to the task force by the four sheriff's offices with whom his office works. He explained that they have interlocal agreements with all four sheriff's departments, which give employees to work with the task force.
Not all the members of the task force are employees of the DA's office, but they are commissioned by the DA's office. In some cases, those employees are being paid by other law enforcement agencies, he said.
Moore said the sheriff's offices benefit from that arrangement, as does the task force. He said other employees, such as prosecutors, work with the task force and some of their pay also comes from the same funding as the task force.
The decision to cut drug task force funding was made by Congress in December in the omnibus spending bill passed. Fudge said the bill passed before anything could be done.
Prior to the cut, Fudge said they anticipated an increase in funding because the House and Senate had indicated giving back funding to the task forces.
Fudge said they don't know why Congress cut the funding, but that Congress wanted to fund the war and another program that dealt with immigration instead.
"They cut it right out from under us," she said. Fudge said the new funding, or lack of funding, will go into effect in July.
What seems to puzzle Fudge the most is the fact that task force programs are effective at working to get drugs off the streets.
According to an annual state report, from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, drug task forces across the state seized 35 pounds of cocaine, four pounds of crack cocaine, 1,869 pounds of marijuana, 69 pounds of amphetamine or methamphetamine, and 10,725 diverted prescription drug pills. The value of those drugs seized was about $8.5 million, based on street value information from the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the report. The task forces also destroyed 4,961 marijuana plants.
During arrests and search warrants, task forces seized 361 firearms in connection with drug violations. As a result of investigations conducted by task forces, 2,589 arrests were made.
In District 27 alone in 2007, Moore said his task force handled 152 cases, served 66 search warrants, conducted 65 knock and talks, had 46 controlled buys, served 15 arrest warrants, made nine traffic stops, made 148 arrests, and seized 38 labs and 124 firearms.
Moore said the task force also wrote a methamphetamine initiative grant that led to $364,194 being awarded to the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office.
Fudge indicated that not only will people lose their jobs because of the federal funding cut, the task force system that is in place to address drugs and violent crimes will be harmed.
Without task forces in place, state agencies and locals will have to bear the burden.
"It's going to create a void," Fudge said. "We're going to have more drugs through the state. It's scary."
Fudge said the task forces serve a purpose and for them to take that enforcement away and expect locals and state authorities to do it is not going to work.
"They don't have the manpower, resources, training, or expertise," she said.
Fudge noted that drug task forces make up the largest drug enforcement body in the state.
"The locals rely on them," Fudge said. "It's definitely a step backwards."
But Moore said out of the entire state, he expects his task force to be funded to the highest percentage.
"We have voiced our need," Moore said. "We do need it."
He added that they have also contacted legislators to let them know the need.
"We are sitting tight and hoping for the best," he said. "We're also getting out there and working."
