Legislators - Police Law Enforcement Funding
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Dubuque Police Department
Law Enforcement Center
P.O. Box 875
Dubuque, Iowa 52004-0875
Phone (319) 589-4410
Fax (319) 589-4497
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March 8, 2005
The Honorable Steve King
United States House of Representatives
1432 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Elimination of Federal Funding (JAG and Bryne Grant)
Dear Representative King:
As a 26-year law enforcement professional and eight years as a Police Chief, I am
writing to you asking your help to combat the elimination of key law enforcement federal
funding. For the City of Dubuque this funding is vital if we are to have any hope of
overcoming illegal drug use and combating the manufacturing of methamphetamine, our
most damaging drug of choice.
The manufacturing of methamphetamine has gone well beyond a law enforcement
concern and has become one of our most problematic health and safety concerns
facing our communities today. The Iowa Department of Human Services reports 960
children as victims of abuse due to the exposure during the manufacturing of
methamphetamine. Clandestine methamphetamine labs are routinely found to be the
source of explosion, toxicity, and fires. Your help is urgently needed to ensure continue
funding is maintained so these core justice programs continue to supplement our fight
against this illegal drug use.
We understand Congress may adopt budget resolutions very soon, setting the ceiling
on discretionary spending that will drive funding levels available through the
appropriations process. Please consider the following information before making
decisions that could adversely affect public safety in Iowa. The President's budget
proposes reducing justice assistance by more than $1.3 billion in comparison to FY
2005, or 44 percent. This cut would come on top of more than $1 billion in justice
funding reductions in Fiscal years 2003 through 2005.
VVhat does this mean to Iowa? Under the administration's proposal, Iowa stands to lose
over $10 million in annual justice program funding to fight drugs-like methamphetamine
(Meth) and other crime. This funding is the lifeblood of many drug task forces,
methamphetamine lab enforcement teams, offender treatment programs and
Service
People
Integrity
Responsibility
Innovation
Teamwork
. .
community prevention initiatives in hundreds of communities throughout our State.
Here are just a few examples of how these resources impacted the safety of Iowans last
year:
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Multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement task forces safely confiscated 268 pounds
of methamphetamine/amphetamine and responded to 1,242 potentially
hazardous methamphetamine lab incidents.
Special methamphetamine lab enforcement teams in two 18-county areas of
East Central and South Central Iowa assisted in seizing more than 63 percent of
Iowa's nearly 1,500 methamphetamine labs.
Of the 198 juvenile offenders participating in the Cerro Gordo ALERT Program,
77 percent successfully reduced or eliminated drug use.
Among high-risk inmates at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in
Mitchellville, only nine percent of Therapeutic Community treatment graduates
re-offended.
The Waterloo Residential Facility's Dual Diagnosis Offender Program received
the American Corrections Association "Exemplary Offender Program Award."
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Previous year's funding cuts have already resulted in loss of service. Even a small
funding reduction in FY 2006, coming on top of an approximate 22 percent cut in FY
2005, will further reduce Iowa's drug/crime control efforts. The large FY 2006 reduction
proposed by the President would eliminate many of Iowa's justice programs, and the
vital services they provide to hundreds of thousands of Iowans.
VVe urge Congress to restore justice assistance funding to FY 2004 levels. Justice
programs that impact Iowa the most are: JAG/Byrne/LLEBG ($725 million in '04 versus
$634 million in 'OS versus $0 in the President's FY '06 proposal), COPS
Methamphetamine Enforcement and Cleanups ($54.1 million in '04 versus $52.6 million
in 'OS versus $20 million in the President's FY '06 proposal), and Juvenile Accountability
Block Grants ($60 million in '04 versus $55 million in 'OS versus $0 in the President's
FY'06 proposal). In FY 2005, Iowa is receiving more than $10.2 million from these
programs.
The scourge of methamphetamine worsens the need for these precious resources. Iowa
has the nation's fourth highest rate of methamphetamine use and second highest
number of volatile clandestine methamphetamine labs, according to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, respectively. Also, the number of times Iowa children tested positive for
any illegal drug last year rose to an all-time high of more than 1,700, and in two-thirds of
those cases the child was under the age of six.
The National Synthetic Drugs Action Plan announced by the White House last October
says methamphetamine and other manufactured drugs pose a "significant threat to the
nation." We can't agree more and believe strongly that federal resources are required
to address this and other drug/crime issues that demand local-state-federal cooperation.
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It is our understanding that recommendations from Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), based on program performance measures, weighed heavily into the President's
budget proposal. Unfortunately for the President and everyone who benefits from justice
funding, officials in the U.S. Department of Justice have told us that performance
measures were NOT submitted to them by Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for some
of these crucial programs. We do not believe it is fair to hold Iowa accountable for the
inaction of others. VVe can document the positive impact of these resources in Iowa,
and will happily provide that information to you upon request.
We understand that difficult decisions must be made on the best expenditure of public
funds at the federalleve!. We simply ask that Congress ensure that justice programs
receive a fair share of the total amount available for budget purposes in FFY 2006, to
help us address priority needs in Iowa.
\j\Je need your help. 'would be happy to visit with you regarding this issue and any
additional information or questions you may need. Please feel free to contact me at
(563) 589-4411. Thank you.
~sin~rh'
. "'""rot On
Kim . Wa....dl"g
Police Chief
,I '.
Margaret Bies
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Kim Wadding [kwadding@cityofdubuque.orgJ
Monday. March 07, 20056:25 PM
Police
Letters to Congressional Members
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Letter - Elimination
of Task. F...
Margaret,
Please use the attached letter and made individual letters to the following:
The Honorable Tom Harkin
United States Senate
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Leonard Boswell
United States House of Representatives
1427 Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Jim Leach
United States House of Representatives
2186 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Tom Latham
United States House of Representatives
4427 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Jim Nussle
United States House of Representatives
303 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Steve King
United States House of Representatives
1432 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
COpy
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