The Associated Press

OWENSBORO, Ky. - A western Kentucky regional drug task force is seeing its funding cut as the state shifts resources to drug treatment and education.

"This comes as a bit of a surprise," said Cheyenne Albro, director of the Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force, which covers a 10-county area in western Kentucky.

The Pennyrile group lost more than $70,000 in funding from the federal Edward Byrne grant administered by the state each year for law enforcement purposes, Albro said.

Last fiscal year, the task force received $454,000 of the $7.5 million awarded through the grant program to the state, said Chris Gilligan, spokesman for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.

The Pennyrile task force requested $456,000 for the current fiscal year, which began in July, and was awarded $381,427 of the $6.9 million awarded to the state, Gilligan said.

"There wasn't enough money to go around for everybody," Gilligan said. "We know we had some good programs that weren't funded. We had to make some tough choices."

Gov. Ernie Fletcher last week announced the formation of a comprehensive drug control plan that includes the creation of the Office of Drug Control Policy and more of an emphasis on treatment and education.

The new plan was based on the recommendations of the Statewide Drug Control Assessment Summit, which issued a final report last week after meeting with community and law enforcement groups around the state during the last five months.

The shift to education and treatment factors into the cuts in task force funding, Gilligan said. Funding to 31 task forces in the state that receive Byrne grant money was cut at least 5 percent.

The Pennyrile task force received a 15 percent reduction, which Gilligan said was about average for the drug task forces.

Albro said more resources should be devoted to drug treatment and rehabilitation, but the money shouldn't come from law enforcement.

"I'm really for that, but the problem is you take away from the effort to arrest people," he said. "Generally, when someone is arrested is when they realize they need treatment."