Local Drug Task Force Agencies Raise Budget Shortfalls Concerns
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.
The number of fentanyl pills seized by the South Kentucky Drug Task Force dramatically rose, from under 50 instances in 2021 to nearly 350 in 2024. Directors of local drug task forces are raising concern about potential budget shortfalls inhibiting their capacity to address this issue effectively. They are urging the public to communicate with state representatives about increasing drug-related problems in their neighborhoods.
The Funding Challenge
“We just need money to operate,” said Jacky Hunt, Director of the South-central Kentucky Drug Task Force. The Drug Task Forces (DTFs) in Kentucky rely on local and federal funding, receiving no funding at the state level.
“We have to have specialized equipment for the detectives assigned here from the Bowling Green Police, state police, sheriff’s office, university police. Their salaries, all funded by their agency. So, we do have that, but still there’s a lot of expense and just providing the equipment to the detectives so that they’re able to adequately do their job,” explained Tommy Loving, Director of Warren County Drug Task Force.
Increased Duties, Unchanged Budgets
Increased responsibilities, including monitoring drug trafficking, drug sales, and investigating overdose deaths, have added to the DTFs workload. Yet the budget has remained unchanged.
“Now we’re going after the person that sold the drugs and charging them with a with manslaughter,” Hunt pointed out. “The cost of doing that business, that’s added more to our plate and we’re having to work even harder and we’re stretching our resources even thinner. My concern is our budgets hasn’t really kept up with that.”
Changing Focus of Funds
In his twenty years of law enforcement, Loving observed a shift in funding allocations. There has been increased focus on substance abuse treatment and addiction, resulting in budget shortfalls for law enforcement agencies battling drug crimes.
“We need a little more balance in that funding,” Loving envisaged. “It’s supposed to be referred to as the three-legged stool of both enforcement, treatment, and prevention.”
Solutions Going Forward
While state legislation such as House Bills 513 and 248 provide funding for substance abuse and addiction treatment, both Hunt and Loving argue that incarceration often provides the initial step towards sobriety for many individuals.
“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen is people don’t voluntarily agree to treatment; a lot of times, they’re forced into treatment for their own good, and a lot of times that’s through incarceration,” Hunt noted, urging for a balanced and comprehensive approach to tackling the drug problem.
