Sheriff to Ask for Federal Funding to Battle Drugs

Noting that Orange County is a major transportation hub for narcotics traffickers, Sheriff Brad Gates said Monday that he will ask a top aide to federal drug czar William Bennett to enroll the county in a new program for the nation’s worst drug-infested areas.

Gates will approach Judge Reginald Walton with the request today during an official visit by Walton to peruse county anti-drug programs for ideas that can be incorporated in a national strategy against drug and alcohol abuse.

President Bush has decided to declare certain regions of the country “high intensity drug trafficking areas,” which will qualify them for increased federal assistance in the so-called war on drugs.

Regions so designated will be disclosed at month’s end when the President’s budget is announced. Part, if not all, of Southern California is likely to be among the areas selected.

“We feel factually that we fit into that mold,” Gates said. “We have confiscated about 50 million doses of cocaine, 10 million injections of heroin and about $50 million in drug money (since formation of the Regional Narcotics Suppression Program in 1986). We feel the problem here is just as serious as in Los Angeles. We certainly would like to see some more help.”

Gates said he would like a separate designation for Orange County if the county is not included in an overall designation for Southern California.

Walton, who is assistant director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will meet with the sheriff this morning for 45 minutes before attending discussions with county drug treatment professionals, the Board of Supervisors and educators at UC Irvine.

Walton, a Superior Court judge in Washington and Bennett’s right-hand man, is said to be particularly interested in a host of alliances formed by county law enforcement, business, local government and UC Irvine to combat drug and alcohol addiction through education and treatment.

The programs include the Orange County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership, which is a coalition of cities, the county and the university; the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team within the county’s Health Care Agency, and the Drug Abuse Is Life Abuse program that involves local business and industry.

County officials also hope Walton’s fact-finding mission will boost their chances to get more federal funds and enlighten the judge about the shortcomings of current federal grants to county anti-drug efforts.

“We hope to have a two-way conversation,” said 4th District Supervisor Don R. Roth, who will chair the discussion with the board. “It will be interesting to see what he has to say about available federal programs. We hope to get a real dialogue going.”

William Edelman, a division manager of the county’s drug treatment efforts, said he is concerned that many federal grants last only a year, making it difficult to provide effective ongoing programs.

“We need some consistency in federal funding, not one-shot deals where the money stops after one year,” Edelman said. “The county can’t always pick up the tab for programs when the federal money runs out.”

As assistant director for national drug control policy, Walton is the point man for Bennett’s ongoing effort to develop and implement a national drug strategy. The policy is now in its second phase, which is designed to update and promote existing federal programs. Phase One involved assessing the drug problem and drafting the policy.

During visits to 23 states and traveling 150,000 miles since September, Walton has fielded suggestions and criticism from hundreds of politicians, government officials and law enforcement representatives.

On Monday, Walton met with local mayors in Los Angeles who reiterated their year-old request that Los Angeles County be designated a “high intensity drug trafficking area.”