xxdr_zombiexx

Drug fight money stalled
Democrat & Chronicle | April 28, 2004

Schumer is pressing White House to fund upstate efforts

By Patrick Flanigan
Staff writer

An attempt to bolster upstate New York’s fight against illegal drugs with millions of dollars in federal funds is stalled in the White House.

John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is resisting an effort to have the regions that include Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which could bring $1 million to $3 million a year to help local law enforcement agencies fight the importation and distribution of illegal drugs.

”He’s giving us resistance,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., referring to Walters by his politically shorthanded title, “drug czar.”

”It’s always hard to get good things done in Washington,” Schumer added. “The drug czar, without even batting an eye, should understand our needs in upstate New York.”

But Joseph Keefe, Walters’ deputy director for state and local affairs, said the upstate region does not fit the criteria for the federal drug-trafficking designation, called a HIDTA.

”We felt at this point, with the funds available, we couldn’t expand (the HIDTA program to upstate),” said Keefe.

Keefe said a copy of a “threat assessment” submitted with an upstate proposal indicated the majority of drugs moving through the upstate region from Canada go to New York City, where there is already a HIDTA.

”We do have it in the right spot,” Keefe said.

Schumer traveled to Rochester in August to announce his support of a plan to have Rochester lead a coalition of upstate cities under a HIDTA.

The designation would give local police money to spend on overtime, improve anti-crime coordination with community groups and tie local agencies more closely to a federal pipeline of drug-trafficking intelligence, authorities said.

”The mayor and police chief have done everything in their power” to curb the violence, Schumer said in August. “They’ve done a great job. We in Washington have to give them the federal dollars they need to do the job.”

Upstate would join 19 other U.S. regions, including New York City, to be awarded the designation. At the time of his announcement, Schumer said, the upstate region’s chances of getting the designation were “pretty good,” and hoped to have it in place by the beginning of this year. In all, the program sends about $225 million a year to the designated areas.

Since Walters took office in December 2001, no new HIDTAs have been designated, Keefe said.

Mayor William A. Johnson said he’s disappointed that Walters’ office doesn’t recognize upstate’s role in the national drug network.

”We’ve provided ample documentation that drugs are finding a nest in places in upstate New York as they move through the pipeline from Canada,” Johnson said. “I stand by our application and I’m disappointed and puzzled by their response.”

Johnson said he suspected the real reason for the rejection is the federal budget deficit.

”The federal government is out of money. I’d much rather they be honest and say ‘We don’t have the money,’” Johnson said. “But to say there isn’t a need for this program in upstate New York, I think anybody who says that is withdrawn from the reality of our situation.”

[zombienote: Hey! Walters has $4 BILLION freakin' tax dollars to blow lying to people about marijuana and to interfere in elections but they can't help law enforcement. Cops....make a note. They lie to you too.]

Schumer said a member of his staff has been negotiating almost daily with Walters’ office. The negotiations are “coming to a head,” Schumer said. If there isn’t any breakthrough in the next few weeks, he said he would attempt to bypass the executive process by submitting legislation to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

”If he doesn’t do it on his own, we can do it legislatively,” Schumer said.

The plea for federal assistance comes at a time when the state government has demonstrated recognition that upstate cities need help in the fight against crime.

Gov. George Pataki last month announced the launch of Operation Impact, which is designed to lower crime in 15 cities outside New York City by augmenting local law enforcement agencies with state troopers and state money.

The governor’s office decided to initiate the program in Rochester in part because Rochester saw a sharp spike in drug-related violence in 2003, from 41 to 57 homicides, many of which were linked to the drug trade. The operation brings about $500,00 along with state troopers and sheriff’s deputies into the city.

A report on the region’s “justification” for being designated a HIDTA was included in a report submitted to the City Council this month by Police Chief Robert Duffy. The report, which cites information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, makes a case for federal funding by linking Rochester’s drug problem to international markets.

”(L)ocal law enforcement is often overmatched by drug trafficking organizations,” the justification states.

A key concern outlined in the proposal is that New York’s 428-mile border with Canada includes 26 points of entry to the United States, many of which are popular with drug traffickers. The Canadian border crossings are a “favorite conduit for drug traffickers,” who distribute such products as extra-strong hydroponic marijuana, cocaine, heroin, PCP and synthetic “club drugs,” such as ecstasy.

Some drugs, such as hydroponic marijuana — which is cultivated in a nutrient solution to increase its potency — are produced in Canada. Other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are moved through Canada to the United States from South America, Europe and Asia, according to the statement.

Drug smugglers consider the Canadian crossings a “lower risk” than other points of U.S. entry that have heavier law enforcement and advanced drug-detection equipment, the justification states.

It also notes that three of Canada’s four largest cities — Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa — are within a two-hour drive of the New York border and generate a lot of private and commercial traffic, and many of the drugs are destined for New York City, Atlanta and Chicago.

”Because there is currently a limited enforcement effort to interdict illicit drugs entering the United States through its northern border, it is difficult to know with any certainty what quantities of drugs are being moved across the border,” according to the justification. “What is clear, however, is that drugs are coming across the border and that is due to the upstate New York’s proximity to major metropolitan areas in the northeast and north central United States; it is likely that many of the drugs imported into the United States through Upstate New York are intended for distribution outside the region.”

PFLANIGA@DemocratandChronicle.com



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What's at stake
By designating the upstate region a {ldquo}High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area,{rdquo} the federal government could pump $1 million to $3 million a year into the area to help local police fight the drug problem.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, asked for the designation last year, but the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has ruled that upstate doesn't fit the criteria.

Schumer said he's trying to work it out with the White House but might soon opt to appeal directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Niteshift

What a second............

Are you COMPLAINING because they aren't spending MORE money to enforce drug laws in NY?

Explain this logic to me: You are COMPLAINING that they are spending money on ad campaigns, which don't land anyone in jail, instead of spending the money on ACTIVE enforcement of the laws, which does land people in jail? WTF


And to make it worse, you are complaining about it in New York, home of the "Rockefeller laws" that provide some of the stiffest MANDATORY drug sentences around?


I'm totally confused here. I never thought I'd see you, of all people, complaining about this.

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GrooveGuardian

All i have to say about this... Go ahead Spend as much money as you so desire, people need to make money off the drug war or it wouldent be around.... So spend spend spend, you think it will have any effect on drugs going to New York, they cant nail everybody, and they wont.

xxdr_zombiexx

From the article:Basically, they want the money. States and counties are really good at "misaligning" (laundering) those funds to do what they want with them.

Maybe they will chase potheads - after all, all that powerful Canadian crack Pot is puring south at incredible speeds - or so we are to fear; maybe they will redirect it and buy office furniture. I have seen it happen before.

the interesting thing is we have a democrat pleading for money for "druuuugs" and the Drug Czars' office dragging it's feet for some odd reason.

$3,000,000 is chicken feed to the ONDCP, having $4 BILLION to spread lies about marijuana and influence elections.

The question is what does Walter's and the ONDCP gain by this footdragging?

What else do they want the money for?

Again, walters has been around recently calling Canadian weed "Crack marijuana" yet this state is right on the border with numerous crossings.

Why does walters - or the ONDCP or the White House (since marijuana decisions go that high) - want them to remain less-funded?

Bellatrix

Missed the boat again, Niteshift. Let me try to spell it out for you.

So, when you or your fellow officers ask for funding for anything (in this case, the "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area" thing is just an example), no matter how important you might think it is, the gov't will tell you they have no money. Which is a lie. And doesn't it seems a little odd to you that the ONDCP is blocking this? Why wouldn't they be all for it? prpobably because they don't actually care; and less money for you means more money for them. Call me crazy, but I don't think Johnny Walters will be flying coach on his next trip to the heartland to rant against evil reefer, do you?

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Niteshift

No, you missed the boat again Bellatrix


So, when you or your fellow officers ask for funding for anything (in this case, the "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area" thing is just an example), no matter how important you might think it is, the gov't will tell you they have no money. Which is a lie.

If there is a budget (they only get a certain amount of money per year, you know) and each program is laid out, with dollar amounts designated for each thing, the money is considered spent.

Then you come along and say "we want money for this".........but that wasn't in the original budget. So you will be told "we have no money for that".

That is NOT a LIE. That is simply the truth.........there was no money in the budget for what you are asking for. The money is already planned for other things.

That's how budgets work.


And doesn't it seems a little odd to you that the ONDCP is blocking this? Why wouldn't they be all for it? prpobably because they don't actually care; and less money for you means more money for them.

Actually, the OBVIOUS answer isn't quite so conspiritorial. It's simply politics.

The Democrat Schumer is a big foe of the Republican party. He isn't as concerned with drug enforcement as he is concerned with being able to tell his constituents "I got this federal money for New York". Likewise, the Republicans are putting him off so that he can't say that.

It's politics. It's not about "keeping money for themselves" or something silly like that.