free money for cops?????? Original Article Arizona seeks security goals shift By Le Templar, Tribune October 16, 2005 Arizona officials want to dramatically shift how they spend federal Homeland Security money focusing more heavily on border enforcement and disaster preparation and away from buying vehicles and personal protection equipment for local police officers and firefighters. Arizona Homeland Security Director Frank Navarrete has been meeting with Republican state lawmakers to discuss new priorities for millions of dollars in federal grants that were bulked up by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Now, Navarrete and key lawmakers have reached a quiet, tentative agreement that some Homeland Security grant dollars should be used to improve control of the Mexican border. Navarrete, who reports directly to Gov. Janet Napolitano, has control of federal Homeland Security grants. Napolitano has frequently clashed with GOP lawmakers over the proper role of the state in addressing illegal immigration. Until now, a large portion of Arizonas federal grants have been used by state and local public safety agencies to buy equipment ranging from communication vans and fire vehicles to biohazard protection suits and gas masks. State officials want a change, saying limited federal dollars should be devoted to regional or statewide projects. Navarrete said he plans to spend more on effective training and border security. "In terms of equipment and hard assets, I think the state . . . is in pretty good shape," Navarrete said. "Lets start using some of this gear and quit focusing on buying more gear." Key lawmakers also now say they are concerned that some public safety agencies have used federal grants for equipment and other expenses that should be covered by local tax dollars. "Anytime theres money available, they are going to go after it because its free money," said Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, chairman of a House appropriations committee. "Its not a matter of picking on them, but somebody has to say no. " Local police agencies hadnt heard that the state was considering changing how the money was spent so police were reluctant last week to discuss how that might affect their agencies operations. Sgt. Mark Clark, a spokesman for the Scottsdale Police Department, noted that police agencies were continuing to take advantage of Homeland Security dollars still available but that the effects of any changes on his agencys funding werent yet clear. The focus on buying equipment for local agencies has contributed to the slow pace of spending of Homeland Security grants, which total more than $113 million for the past three years. Navarrete said Arizona has committed about 80 percent of the $41.7 million in grants received this year. But almost none of the money actually has been spent because state officials have to wait for public safety agencies to prove they have ordered and received specific equipment before they can be reimbursed, he said. Some of the delays have been extensive, with agencies waiting up to two years for specialized vehicles for radio communications or toxic chemical decontamination. For the prior two fiscal years, Arizona received six-month extensions on federal deadlines to finish spending the grant dollars. Border security will be much a higher priority for the next round of federal grants, Navarrete said. He already has used Napolitanos emergency declaration for the four border counties in August to combine $1.7 million in state and federal dollars to pay overtime costs for local law enforcement. Now, Navarrete wants to learn more about a ground radar system built by a Scottsdale company and already used by the U.S. Marines Corps to keep illegal border crossers away from a flight training area in southeast Arizona. Pearce and several other lawmakers toured the Marine operation last month, and Pearce estimates similar radar sites could be placed along the entire Arizona-Mexico border for up to $60 million. "To be fair to Frank, he came to me about this, a radar and a fence on the border," Pearce said. "We are going to talk about how he can help with some of this." A number of issues would have to resolved, such as who would operate the radar sites and who would be expected to respond when an illegal crossing is detected. Pearce said he would expect the state to sign agreements with federal immigration officials and encourage local police to act as well. Napolitano vetoed an attempt during the 2005 regular session to have local police involved in immigration enforcement. But during the summer, Napolitano sought agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security related to using state troopers at ports of entry and to deporting foreign criminals directly from state prisons. Navarrete acknowledged he supports changing priorities for Homeland Security grants, in part, because Napolitano is pushing her administration to develop concrete solutions for problems created by illegal immigration. Contact Le Templar by email, or phone (602) 542-5813