Funding Cuts Threaten Heroin Trafficking Fight on Long Island

Strategic Insights -

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer warns that the Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget slashing of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program could lead to a loss of nearly $1.5 million for Long Island operations, exacerbating the region's heroin epidemic. Heroin-related arrests have skyrocketed, with over 150 arrests in Nassau alone since the beginning of the year. Schumer announced he will fight to restore the cuts before the final appropriations bill is approved in the fall, emphasizing the importance of continued funding to combat the heroin crisis.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposes a 12% cut to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which could result in a loss of nearly $1.5 million for Long Island operations.
  • The HIDTA program provides critical funding for Nassau and Suffolk counties to combat heroin trafficking, with resources including laptop computers, surveillance equipment, high-precision cameras, and other computer equipment.
  • Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 150 heroin-related arrests in Nassau, with a growing trend of heroin use and abuse on Long Island.
  • Schumer will join with a bipartisan group of Senators to fight the cuts and has made a direct appeal to the Chairman and Ranking members of the Senate Budget Committee to restore funding in the final Congressional budget.
  • The HIDTA program was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to provide assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement entities operating in areas most adversely affected by drug trafficking.
  • The New York HIDTA received some $10 million last year and has developed the Investigative Support Center (ISC), one of the largest and most comprehensive criminal intelligence centers in the country.

Statistics:

  • 12%: the proposed cut to the HIDTA program amounting to a loss of nearly $1.5 million for Long Island operations.
  • $239 million: the original funding for the HIDTA program in the Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget.
  • $210 million: the proposed funding after the 12% cut.
  • $10 million: the amount received by the New York HIDTA last year.
  • 600: the number of officers and crime analysts at the Investigative Support Center (ISC).
  • $1.2 million to $1.5 million: the estimated cut for the New York HIDTA that covers both Long Island counties.

Sources:

  • The New York Times
  • U.S. Senate Press Release (Charles Schumer)
  • The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988
  • The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program Website