The proposed federal budget has many local law enforcement agencies concerned about the future of covert drug operations.

The budget calls for massive cuts to the Bryne Formula Grant, said Commander Mark Peyton, head of the East Central Illinois Drug Task Force.

ECIDTF is the principal drug unit for Coles, Douglas, Moultrie and Shelby counties. The force handles all drug related crimes from methamphetamine labs to drug dealers.

At current levels, the grant provides ECIDTF with $133,903 annually. The proposed budget calls for this to be cut by 6 to 8 percent this October, up to 50 percent by October 2007, and completely eliminated by October 2008.

These cuts will have a major effect on the operations of the ECIDTF and its equivalent organizations throughout the country.

“Without the funding from the federal government we are going to have a hard time operating at the levels we currently operate at,” Peyton said.

The current levels of funding allow for the force to employee three personnel and to purchase supplies necessary for the work of the task force, including unmarked vehicles and surveillance equipment, said Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew.

“If the task force loses funding, we absolutely could not do the enforcement and investigation in [Douglas] County,” McGrew said. “We really do not have the resources or manpower to have an effective drug unit.”

McGrew said that the task force allows for the ability to have eight officers working covertly in the county with unmarked cars and the proper equipment.

According to Peyton, the task force will see changes in its operations if the budget cuts go through, but that the task force will not close.

A 10 percent cut this year would not affect the arrests people see on the streets, Peyton said. However, it would affect the types of cases that the task forced worked.

If the funding were cut more than that, the contracted employees would be released from their positions. At this point, the public would begin to notice a difference, Peyton said.

“Their positions would have to be backfilled with people who should be working the streets,” he said.

Both McGrew and Peyton agree that eliminating the funding for the task force is not the appropriate action to take.

“The people the drug task force are arresting are still going to be out there,” said McGrew. “The situation is not going away.”

“I think this is a mistake to cut funding in an area like this,” Peyton said. With law enforcement officials fighting the war on drugs, this funding cut will hinder that progress.

Peyton also addressed the issue of levels of methamphetamine in Coles County. As of three weeks ago, Coles County ranked as the number two county in the nation for reported meth labs.

Peyton does not think this should be viewed as a bad thing because cases are being reported and followed through on. There are places a lot worse in the nation but they are not being reported, he said.

“It’s because of the hard work the guys in the field are doing that we’re number two,” he said. “People of the community would not know how bad the problem is if the guys weren’t out there working.”

According to Peyton, meth poses a very dangerous threat to the public because it affects more than just the user.

“The problem is that meth not only affects the users but also the children,” Peyton said. “They are exposed to the chemicals used in production as well as the parents experiencing all the cycles of addiction.”

The proposed funding cuts are something for the general public to be aware of and concerned about, McGrew said.

“It would be to all the citizens’ benefits to reinstate the funding,” McGrew said. “I think the citizens of the counties should express their concern to federal legislators.”

The directors of all participating police departments are doing what they can to help with the problem, and they are encouraging local citizens to do the same.

The Byrne Grant is named after Edward Byrne, a New York City police officer who was killed in the line of duty while working a drug case. Byrne was 22 at the time. The grant currently supports 40 Illinois communities by providing a total of $12.9 million.