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In Washington, President George Bush orders all local law enforcement agencies to be on the highest state of alert after launching the bombing campaign against the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Of particular concern are the hundreds of miles of coastline separating the United States and Canada in the Great Lakes region.
In Niagara County -- which has more international bridges than any other county in the United States -- the Legislature proposes gutting the Sheriff's Department as a cost-saving measure. Specifically targeted by the legislators are the department's aviation and marine units.
What is wrong with this picture?
"You hate to prioritize, but those two items have become particularly critical since Sept. 11," Sheriff Tom Beilein told the Reporter. "In the days following the attack, the Coast Guard asked for our assistance in patrolling the lower Niagara."
And it didn't take long for the increased patrols to bring results, he added. Four Czechoslovakian nationals attempting to cross the river's mouth in a rubber raft and enter the country illegally were picked up off Joseph Davis State Park.
"A high-speed boat could cross from Toronto to Wilson in 40 minutes," Beilein said. "Our shoreline security is extremely porous. Public safety has always been a critical issue, but it has really come to the forefront in the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington."
Under the legislators' modest proposal, $1.7 million would be slashed from the Sheriff's Department budget, eliminating 35 of 131 deputy positions countywide. In addition to the air and marine patrols, significant cutbacks would be needed during the afternoon and midnight road patrol shifts and a number of other programs would be eliminated as well.
"If this proposal goes through, the whole county's effected. The safety of every resident in the county is effected," said Ed Briggs, head of the deputies' union. "We're not talking about increasing anything, we're just trying to keep the levels we have."
Last year, the department's Marine Division spent 5,418 hours patrolling the waters of Lake Ontario and the upper and lower Niagara River at a cost of $68,192, records show. They conducted 609 routine safety inspections, issued 265 warnings and citations, went to the assistance of 149 stranded vessels and answered 274 navigation complaints. Nine deputies work part time in the division.
"The Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and the Border Patrol are all increasing their presence on the waterways because of the threat of terrorism, and the Legislature wants to get rid of its responsibility entirely," Briggs said. "It's exactly the wrong time to make a move like this."
Eliminating the Aviation Unit would save another $33,916 under the Legislature's proposal. Last year, the unit flew 31 missions and was credited with saving lives in two cases. Money the county has spent in the past on the helicopter itself as well as training for pilots and support staff would be effectively wasted were the unit to be eliminated.
"In the past, the Aviation Unit has concentrated on search and rescue, missing child searches and marijuana searches," Briggs said. "But having a set of eyes in the air can obviously be adapted to any number of roles."
Also on the Legislature's chopping block is the county's forensic laboratory, which analyzes all evidence submitted for forensic examination from various police agencies, including the cities of Niagara Falls, Lockport and North Tonawanda. Last year the laboratory analyzed evidence including DNA, blood alcohol and drugs in approximately 3,000 criminal cases.
Seven deputies would be eliminated under the proposal, and cutting the laboratory would save the county $374,760 annually.
The downside? Should the county laboratory close, evidence would have to be sent to the state police lab in Albany for analysis. This costly and time-consuming procedure would undoubtedly slow the pace of criminal investigations, and dumping 3,000 additional cases a year on that facility would undoubtedly slow the process even more.
"For years, county leadership on both sides of the aisle have been pushing us to centralize services like this," Beilein said. "This is critical in everything from homicide and hit-and-run cases to drug arrests.
"And, obviously, the people who commit these crimes would remain out on the streets during the weeks and months it would take to have an outside agency analyze evidence," he added.
Other areas targeted by the Legislature include:
"Some of these things look like cost-saving measures up front, but over the long haul they will actually be more expensive," Briggs said. "Still, the real issue here is public safety."
The deputies have planned a rally for tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the County Courthouse in Lockport to make the public more aware of their safety concerns. Additionally, petitions being circulated strongly urge the Legislature against making any cuts to the department.