Flint Journal – May 10, 2009:
Two rival local agencies spent more than $2 million last year fighting drug dealers and trying to rid communities of dope.
The results: They took about $350,000 worth of drugs off the street.
A Flint Journal review of the budgets and seizures for the Genesee County Sheriff’s Posse and the state police-run Flint Area Narcotics Group show far more was spent in enforcement of drug laws than the drugs are actually worth.
Officials with the two teams say even more drug fighting tools are needed locally. But critics contend it’s a waste of money and doesn’t fix the community’s overall drug problem.
Officials point out that drug enforcement is funded by the criminals themselves, by cash seized during drug raids.
However, drug forfeiture money is only 25 percent of the Posse’s overall budget of $536,000 and only 17 percent of FANG’s annual $1.4 million budget.
I actually live in Flint. I’m not as proud of this city as I once was mind you. But in defense of FANG and the other narc squads in the area, they’re given less and less of a budget every year. From what I see, and from what I’ve been told by some of the officers on that force in particular, Jennifer Granholm is hellbent on cutting everyone else’s budgets but hers. (just look up the case of the Michigan state police headquarters sometime. it involves a multi-million dollar building that the force didn’t need or want, and the contract went uncontested to her family. also, she’s on the short list for supreme court. joy.) I’m being told directly by officers in the force that these are drummed up charges that serve only to bolster her position.
fuck jen-jen.