With state and federal money no longer available to pay the cost of cleaning up meth labs, local law enforcement agencies must pay for the dangerous work themselves.
We like Alexander Sheriff Chris Bowman’s idea: “We’ll just have to pass the costs on to the people convicted of running the lab,” he said.
Amen to that.
Money made from illegal drugs is confiscated. Real estate used in manufacturing and dealing illegal drugs is confiscated. Local agencies get some of the confiscated loot. North Carolina and the federal government should act to give local authorities a bigger cut, especially if local agencies play the leading role in a drug investigation and subsequent bust.
Federal and state government should not get the lion’s share of the proceeds from a meth bust that was successful because of local law enforcement agencies.
The state and the federal government must often turn to police departments and sheriff’s offices to take charge of bringing down drug dealers and manufacturers.
Paying for meth lab cleanup and funding anti-drug operations should come from the criminals’ ill-gotten gains. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay much for the war on drugs because of the money and property involved.
Local agencies get some money now. They need more. Taking down a drug dealer, a crack house or a meth lab doesn’t come cheap.
When the state or federal government takes everything a criminal owns, it’s impossible to squeeze more from a good drug bust.
The sheriffs of Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties – Coy Reid, John McDevitt and Alan Jones – are talking about partnerships to help ease the cost of meth lab cleanup. Reid says Alexander and Lincoln counties will be contacted about a partnership, too.
That’s not a bad idea, but we like Bowman’s approach better.
Simple action by the General Assembly and Congress could brighten the picture for local authorities. Giving local agencies more control over confiscated drug profits and property makes good economic sense. It’s a better strategy than the previous method of passing the money and property through many state and federal hands before giving police departments and sheriff’s offices their small cuts.
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