Cut In Federal Grants Felt In Brooksville

Local law enforcement is feeling the effect of a sharp drop in federal grant money.

County commissioners Tuesday rubber-stamped $21,000 for the sheriff's office to upgrade their computers. That money comes from the same source used for years to purchase extra equipment - the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG).

Law enforcement can access that money two ways. Some of it is funneled through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which disperses it throughout the 67 counties. Another part comes directly from the federal government.

In 2007, the county received $104,150 from the state. This year: $35,030.

A similar drop can be seen in the allocations the sheriff's office has received directly from the government through JAG grants. In 2001, it was a full $144,000, with a match of $16,000. It was halved from 2004 to 2005, from $111,000 to $55,000.

Matches are no longer required, but the allocation has dwindled to $21,746 in 2008.

"It's still better than nothing," said Major Royce Decker, head of support services.

The source of disparity comes from the 2008 budget passed by Congress, which reduced JAG funding 67 percent from $520 million to $170 million. Those funds have to be shared by the thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country.

And it's not just cops that benefit. In years past, JAG grants have been used locally to start both teen and drug court and create a video-audio link between the jail and courthouse for court appearances.

Clerk of Court Karen Nicolai chairs the board that distributes the JAG grant funds locally. Every year there was word that the funding would drop, but it was usually an insignificant amount, Nicolai said Wednesday.

This year "it took a real dive," she said.

The sheriff's office is applying its money this year toward enhancing the memory and software of its in-car computers. The faster speed will allow deputies to download photos of wanted or missing persons from the National Crime Information Center.

But at $1,000 per upgrade, only about 20 computers will benefit.

Of the $35, 000 received from the state this year, the Brooksville Police Department received $15,000 this year for the purchase of a second K-9 unit. The sheriff's office will use its $20,000 for educational programs such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E).

Critics of federal grants for law enforcement say there's no evidence that the extra money is reducing crime.

"These grants pay for nothing," said David Muhlhausen, senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. "It gives the false perception that the (federal) government is responsible for street crime."

In Muhlhausen's opinion, the federal money subsidizes routine activities that state and local law enforcement should be able to fund on their own. Annual grants breed a sense of entitlement and when the funds dry up, agencies feel as though they are getting ripped off, Muhlhausen said.

"It's the taxpayer that's getting ripped off," Muhlhausen said.