State cuts to law enforcement division will hurt local efforts to fight crime

By Gilroy Police Chief Denise Turner
Editor’s note: The following letter has been sent to Gov. Brown. Readers wishing to reach the governor to express their opinion may contact him by mail at: Governor Jerry Brown, c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; or by phone at: (916) 445-2841; or by fax at: (916) 558-3160. The governor’s office does not accept email from the public.
Dear Governor Brown:
Congratulations and thank you for your leadership in enacting an on-time budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.  These challenging times have required deep and painful cuts affecting all Californians, and requiring shared sacrifices.  I write respectfully to express grave concern about the elimination of $71 million in general funding over the next two fiscal years from the Attorney General’s Division of Law Enforcement (DLE). This funding cut will also cause the loss of millions in additional federal funding received by DLE. Together, these losses significantly undermine our core responsibility to protect public safety, and we respectfully urge you to work with our legislative leadership and the Attorney General to restore this funding.
In recent months, Attorney General Harris has devoted considerable attention to local law enforcement needs, in an effort to ensure that DLE is in the best possible position to support local law enforcement efforts to protect public safety as we face the emerging challenges presented by scarce resources, realignment, and increasingly aggressive organized crime. While the realignment plan will place more responsibility on local governments, our need for the Attorney General to lead, to coordinate, and to provide logistic and technical expertise to local law enforcement agencies remains significant.
We understand that among the essential programs that will be eliminated are the following:
– 55 Multijurisdictional Task Forces: These task forces combat criminal gangs, firearms trafficking and major crimes throughout the State of California;
– The Gang Enforcement and Suppression Program (GSEP): This program was championed by you as Attorney General, and has been immensely successful in targeting the leadership of criminal gangs, and has obtained substantial federal support;
– The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force: This newly-established program is intended to address the mortgage fraud crisis by pursuing criminal prosecutions against wrongdoers, and enhanced civil enforcement to obtain relief for wronged citizens;
– CURES: This program, also one you championed as Attorney General, monitors prescription drug transactions, and is an important tool in identifying criminal diversion of prescription drugs;
– The Clandestine Laboratory and Enforcement Program: DLE is the only entity in the State that trains local law enforcement agencies how to conduct criminal law enforcement in the toxic environment of a clandestine drug laboratory.
– The Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence: This Bureau assists local and state law enforcement agencies with investigations involving conflicts of interest and public corruption. It investigates officer involved shootings, homicides and cold case homicides, specialized sexual assault investigations, child pornography and exploitation, human trafficking and acts as the state’s law enforcement liaison with Mexico through the Foreign Prosecutions and Law Enforcement Unit.
– Other Specialized Units: DLE also supports the High Technology Crimes Task Force, the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force, the Safe Streets Initiative, and California’s Drug Endangered Children program.
These essential law enforcement programs provide enormous value to the state at relatively low cost.  The wholesale elimination of these programs now will leave nothing to build upon when the economic recovery takes hold, and state revenues improve.  It is therefore imperative that these programs be restored, and I respectfully request your support for their restoration.
Sincerely,
Denise J. Turner, President, Santa Clara County Police Chiefs’ Association and Chief of Police, City of Gilroy