WHEREAS, federal programs designed to assist state and local law enforcement agencies have played a vital role in reducing the nation’s crime rate; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant program is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments to create safer communities; and

WHEREAS, state and local law enforcement agencies are on the front lines in confronting the most powerful and sophisticated organized crime groups ever to challenge domestic law enforcement agencies, the international drug trafficking organizations; and

WHEREAS, the IACP acknowledges that the Byrne Formula Grant Program was created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988; and

WHEREAS, the IACP supports efforts to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders and the enforcement of state and local laws similar to those in the Federal Controlled Substances Act; and

WHEREAS, the problems presented by the unprecedented flow of drugs into this country by these international criminal syndicates continues to be a threat in many areas of the United States, particularly mid-size and smaller cities, and rural areas; and

WHEREAS, state and local police are often the first responders to a terrorist attack. In that drug trafficking and terrorism often times are connected, the terrorism prevention programs, which are administered by the Department of Homeland Security, should have a drug trafficking nexus. These new assistance programs should not be funded at the expense of the traditional law enforcement assistance programs. The IACP believes that it is important to distinguish between the assistance funds that are provided to state and local law enforcement from programs administered by Department of Homeland Security and those provided from the existing programs at the Department of Justice; and

WHEREAS, effective anti-crime programs are effective anti-terrorism programs; and

WHEREAS, evidence indicates that terrorist organizations which are funded in part by the sale of illegal drugs adds a new dimension to the need for continued investigation of narcotics-related crime; and

WHEREAS, the Byrne Grant Funding and Community Oriented Policing Programs have proven to be invaluable resources for cooperative Federal, State and Local anti-crime policing strategies; funding multi-jurisdictional drug task forces; DARE programs; hiring, redeploying, and retaining police officers; giving law enforcement access to the latest crime-fighting technologies, and providing funds to allow the involvement of the entire community in preventing and fighting crimes; and

WHEREAS, in FY 2005, funding levels for assistance programs that are primarily designed to support State and Local law enforcement agencies would be reduced by $1.57 billion when compared to FY 2004, and

WHEREAS, in FY 2005, DOJ proposed consolidating the Byrne and LLEBG Programs into a new grant program called the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, which would be funded at $508 million. In FY 2004, the Byrne Program received $659 million and the LLEBG program received $225 million; and

WHEREAS, a reduction in funding for Byrne Grants and COPS will severely affect the ability of state and local law enforcement to continue drug enforcement and demand reduction efforts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 111th Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, strongly urge Congress to increase the funding levels of the Byrne Memorial Grant Programs or the proposed JAG program and COPS to a level consistent with FY 2004 Funding; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Homeland Security should expand state and local law enforcement assistance programs by increasing their funding in support of investigations, which establish the connection between drug trafficking and terrorism.