The Macon Telegraph ran an article yesterday about how federal budget cuts are imperiling a drug/violent crime prevention program called the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program. This program gives grants to states to establish state and regional drug task forces that form partnerships between area sheriffs offices and local police departments. And the program has been particularly successful in Georgia. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is a strong supporter of the grants, released data showing multi-jurisdictional drug task forces in Georgia made about 5,600 drug arrests and seized nearly $50 million in drugs during the 2006-07 budget year. (Not surprisingly, because it is a block grant program, the administration's PART tool concluded the program could not demonstrate results. hmmm....) Despite its successes and strong support from local law enforcement, the program has regularly seen its budget cut, and next year the Georgia state drug task force will see more cuts of over 40 percent. Other offices receiving funding, such as the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Georgia, have seen even larger cuts in the past few years. From the Telegraph article: Molly Perry, director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, said the federal money her agency distributes to the drug task forces in the state has been reduced drastically over the years despite the program's success. "We got $13 million five years ago," Perry said. "It was $8.5 million last year. We're expecting it to be $2.8 million this year. That's the lowest it's ever been. That's a two-thirds cut." Local law enforcement have repeatedly advocated in front of Congress to sustain or increase funding for the program - cited by many in Georgia to be essential to their drug and crime prevention efforts. Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick, who is a past president of the National Sheriffs Association, was on Capitol Hill again this past January, continuing the effort to save funding for the program. "We are trying, along with 25 other law enforcement groups, to get the funding back in," said Bittick, who serves as the chairman of the National Sheriffs Association Congressional Affairs Committee. "I think if we don't get (the funding) in the supplemental budget, there's a very good chance that there will be a year where some of the small task forces may have to drop out. That would mean huge swaths (of the state) not covered by a task force." Macon Telegraph: Cuts may threaten anti-drug program