If passed, President Bush’s latest drug proposal will mean increased funding for DeKalb, especially in the area of law enforcement.

President Bush displayed a bag of crack as he made his first speech from the Oval Office Sept. 5 on his war on drugs. Citing drugs as “the toughest domestic issue we’ve faced in decades,” Bush unveiled a $7.9 billion program which he urged Congress to pass before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

Bush outlined his proposal as a four-point program involving heavier domestic law enforcement, international military and law enforcement assistance to Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia, more drug treatment centers and increased funds for school and community projects.

Although federally funded, Bush’s drug war relies heavily on state and local governments. Rick Rokusek, commander of zone two criminal investigations, said that from a law enforcement perspective the proposal looks excellent. If approved, Rokusek said he expects the proposal to nearly double the budget for state and local drug task forces. Overall, Rokusek said that the proposal also looks good because it attacks the problem from many angles.

However, with nearly 70 percent of the package aimed at law enforcement, many drug treatment and prevention agencies feel that the proposal could be better. Jack Epperly, director of the Chemical Dependency Treatment Center at Kishwaukee Community Hospital said that Bush’s drug war has dramatically increased public awareness of the problem. However, Epperly also stressed that law enforcement alone will not solve the problem, citing the need for treatment and prevention programs to compliment the increased punitive legislation.

Also, many Democrats complain that the program still does not go far enough and relies on cuts in other federal programs for its financing.

House Speaker Thomas Foley previously said “I think the problem is so great that it’s reached out not only to every city in the country, but to rural areas as well. It’s going to be a many, many a year effort and it’s going to require much more money and effort.”

okusek agreed, and said he believes that it will be at least 8 to 10 years before significant results will be seen.

DeKalb State’s Attorney Mike Coghlan said the number of drug related arrests and convictions is growing at an unprecedented rate. Coghlan also said the conviction rate does not mean that DeKalb’s drug problem is growing, but rather that the task force and local law enforcement agencies have increased their efforts and are doing an excellent job.

In the first 8 months of its mobilization, the drug task force has opened 65 drug investigations leading to 41 arrests on felony charges. These arrests alone have resulted in the seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of $785,000, Coghlan said.

Even though Bush’s proposal looks good, Rokusek still stresses that it will still take continuous dedication on the part of the task force and local police in order to fight drugs in the DeKalb area.