Proposal could mean fewer officers on streets

Federal budget cuts could lead to fewer police officers on Utah's streets and in schools. Drug strike forces would be gutted or destroyed entirely.

"If we don't have the money, there's going to be desperate times," Cordell Pearson, commander of the Central Utah Narcotics Task Force, told the Deseret Morning News. "It's really a scary situation, and who wins in the end? The dopers."

President Bush is proposing more than a billion dollars in cuts from law enforcement grants, which has police agencies in Utah nervous. They say without federal grants for community oriented policing, the war on drugs and terrorism, there will be fewer officers on the streets.

"At the moment, if the president's budget recommendations hold up, we're in serious, serious trouble of keeping the strike forces going and keeping drugs off the street," said Frank Budd, executive director of the Utah Chiefs of Police Association. "A number of chiefs have said they can't fund those programs."

The Bush administration has called for $1.1 billion in budget cuts to programs like Community-Oriented Policing Services, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program and other local law enforcement block grants.

The community-oriented policing grant was created during President Clinton's administration to increase the presence of police on the streets, focusing on high-crime areas. Bush has proposed cutting what is called the COPS program by 78 percent or $376 million. The justice assistance grant program, which helps fund drug strike forces in Utah, would be eliminated altogether.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said his city has seen a 50 to 70 percent drop in federal police funding since 2002.

"In 2005, Salt Lake City received only $1.2 million in federal funding for law enforcement," he said in his budget address to the City Council last week. "At least 10 federal grant programs for local law enforcement were eliminated between 2002 and 2005, and police departments are being asked to do more with less funding."

Across Utah, police calls are going up and federal funding has experienced drastic decreases.

St. George Police Sgt. Craig Harding said he has noticed federal grants are "fewer and far between." The COPS grant is running out, and St. George police won't be able to hire more officers.