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| Program Overview
Washington State’s multi-jurisdictional task forces integrate Federal, State and/or local drug law enforcement agencies and prosecutors for the purpose of enhancing interagency coordination and intelligence and facilitating multi-jurisdictional investigations. The task force mission is to work cooperatively to detect, disrupt, and/or dismantle drug-trafficking organizations operating in and through Washington State. Twenty-eight of Washington’s 39 counties are directly served by a task force as a participant, or are represented on task force oversight committees. However, by virtue of the direct participation by federal agents in many of the task forces, all counties are potential recipients of task force investigative service.
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-351) is the base authority for federal assistance to state and local governments in reducing crime. Since passage, the Act has been significantly amended, most notably in 1986, when Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-570) to provide financial assistance to state and local governments and to coordinate, at all government levels, efforts to fight crime and drug abuse problems. It was amended again in 1988 (P.L. 100-690) to consolidated and rename programs the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program (Byrne Formula Grant Program). The Byrne Grant, administered by the U. S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), offered federal funding to state and local governments for local criminal justice system improvements. Among the approved purpose areas were multi-jurisdictional narcotics task forces. Governor Booth Gardner designated the Department of Community Development (now the Department of Commerce) as the State Administering Agency for the purpose of administering the grant program. Initially, there were 11 task forces, but within a few years, that number grew to 20. Support for drug prosecutors in the state also started in 1988 with the creation of the Statewide Drug Prosecution Assistance Program. The Bureau of Justice Assistance made funding available for prosecutors working with multi-jurisdictional narcotics task forces in 1989. Prosecutor support terminated in 1994 due to the BJA rule limiting individual project funding to 48 months. In 1995, funding of prosecutors dedicated to support the task forces was added directly to twelve of the task force grants. The Total Byrne Grant award for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004, with carryover was $10,202,000. Of that amount, the state legislature authorized approximately $3.2 million for task forces and prosecution support.
In 2004, Congress combined the Byrne Grant with the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants to create the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). Unfortunately, Congress also reduced available funding for the grant by approximately 40%. It was reduced again another 40% in 2005. The impact on Washington State was significant. Of the 20 task forces reapplying for funding, 14 received an average of 20% less than the previous year. The remaining six were provided only minimal funding to ease the transition to local funding or to dissolution in the following year.
In 2006, in response to requests from law enforcement to rescue this valuable program, Governor Christine Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna worked with the state legislature to acquire an appropriation of $1,658,000 from the general fund, which when combined with federal funds, effectively restored funding to the task forces to 2004 levels beginning July 1, 2006.
Edward Byrne
New York City Police Officer Edward Byrne (1966-1988) was a rookie officer who was killed in the line of duty on February 26, 1988. Byrne was shot several times in the head and died instantly as he sat in his police car while on assignment protecting a drug case witness at 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in South Jamaica, Queens. The cold-blooded killing, which was apparently a plot to intimidate witnesses from testifying against drug dealers, shocked the consciousness of the city. A year after the murder, four men were convicted and sentenced to the maximum sentences of 25 years to life for the crime. Byrne was 22, single, and living in Massapequa, Long Island, at the time he was murdered. He had joined the police force the previous July, and worked at the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens.
Documents
For more information contact
Program Manager
(360) 725-3034 |
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