Joint Performance Review (JPR)

JPR committee is so in session my coacher be a hearing comes in right now so the timing is just right or so welcome on this beautiful spring morning as to be ninety five reason dallas today be glad that you hear and I don't know why you're all sit behind that pole because I know you're there. So yeah so with that being said the first item on the agenda is approving the minutes from the twenty seven november JPR committing meeting have a motion. Second and discussion motion passes thank you. Oh yeah all in favor say I post none motion passes so the next item on the agenda would be the black rock investments issue in if we could have more quite in amy fetcher at the table please your notice on your agenda that david clark is on there they don't have any black rock investments in their portfolios of there will be need to bring them to the table so before you sit down folks if you would if you had go ahead a swear yeah if you raise your right hand the song is where the test money but give me the truth the whole truth nothing but true sept got thank you if you'd take your seat please and state your name and the agency you're with. Federal with apers mark wild doctor teacher tour system thank you for being here in mr white if you would I believe you have a powerpoint presentation for us to start off with. Thank miss chairman thank you members I will run through this presentation and then we have to answer your questions that you have afterwards I know we were asked to come and present a black rock and so wanted to give you some brief overview of how the broader context around the esg issues that of which black rock is a certainly a focus nationally I mean state in the last session you all pass fill pieces of legislation related esg one is act four eleven and what that does is it sets up when ESG oversight committee and that committee is responsible to make decisions on who the bad actors are among financial firms that are tied in with his esg or using their position to advance esg goals under their legislation there is able it's five person committee the last woman that committee has been now been made and so we expect that committee will start meeting a here I would expect pretty soon and we should have decisions by that committee within the next couple of months and so we were so we support that process we are organ with their process and once that that committee makes this decisions around which are entities are bad actors and need to be pulled out of investments and we'll start working on the committee's recommendations the other act was act for ninety eight of twenty point three bad act requires that equity shares be voted solely in the pecuniary interest of members in other words to the extent that there is proxy voting going on in connection with investments those investment decisions need to be based on what is in the best financial interest of our members not what is best to advance a particular ideological or political goals around esg. Nationally asked several of the states have enacted similar legislation I mentioned three of those kentucky oklahoma texas the one thing I want to point out for that years you'll notice each one has taken a different approach in terms of which firms they are dobest in front is everything from six in oklahoma after fifteen in texas so you have firms they may be dovested in one state but not the other two states and that's important because for us it's not just a decision of who do we pull money out of it's also who we move our money to and so we're hope looking forward to having the committee make some final decisions so though we have some definite regardance about where we can place those funds with. Yeah. As far as teacher retirement system are the action that we've taken we have revised our investment policy in this policy the government's all of our investment managers are investment consultant we were partless matters they cannot discriminate against energy fossil fuel firearms or ammunition industries and that's tardback act for eleven requires them to exercise proxy voting rights solely in the union air interest of our members and it directs them to comply with arkansas august a lot overall around esg. Now getting to the losses out of when stand from staff this is what I think triggered some of the interests the questions around black rock the attorney general tennessee has fallen suit against blackrock and the the very short version of that years what the eighty is alleging is that black rock has been in misleading consumers and investors around esg and as he read through the complaint they're making a case that black rock has told some people one thing they told other people other people something different and that whichever version is the truth blackrock is meet as misleading someone that's the allegation and they are just that their allegations are I can't give me any expert opinion as to the accuracy of those allegations that's of the certainly we work through through the court process there and i'm sure there's something that the esg committee we are reviewing as they make their decisions around divestment decisions for arkansas. They want to emphasize the lawsuit it goes into detail around twenty seven specific black rock products and identifies issues and problems with those products atrs has no investment in the us products none of our investments that we have were named in the slaw students there's nothing that gives us a particular concern are rousing from the law suit based on that. We do have three a black rock holdings in our go through the details of those here in just a moment but I do want to emphasize I mentioned earlier that our investment policies that are managers must agree in writing that they will vote proxies in the interest of our members and not on the basis of esg black rock has signed that written certification and we have that also wanted size that the investments we do have a black rock they do have holdings in all of those areas of industry and energy falsely feels far many ammunition. And so there are three that we have better right now the first one is an index find out that black rock manages for us and index find means that they are not making they're not actively making decisions on which stocks to include or exclude from those holdings rather the goal is for them to be invested across all stocks that are listed in the index and maintain the weight between those stocks based on their price total value that is about a billion dollars it's a very low fee far only with three basis points that were paying in fees on that. And going back to wamage and earlier about different states having different firms identified this is why that's important for us because certainly there have been concerns of expressed around black rock there are two other firms are now up that have similar indexes to this one for for one firm similar concerns been raised very street for that firm for the other one I can tell you they are a thousand times worse than anything has been alleged against black rock and the point is is that in the financial first industry especially if a couple years ago esg this stuff was just endemic throughout the industry and so that's one that we're trying to work through that in a far firms that are on keep our members financial interest as a priority and not subordinate that politics but recognizing that over the years a lot of firms have said a lot of things in an effort to make sales and to market their products. The index phone I mentioned that the second one is a bond find this was established in two thousand three based corporate bonds treasuries similar investments it does not exclude anyone based on their industry it is invested across a diverse area of of industries and the third one is an energy and power infrastructure fund and that one specifically is invested in parcel fields and energy this particular find is in the window so most of its holdings have been sold off there are some that remain wine for example is an integrated popland system in oklahoma that is very much faster feels past investments have included gasoline processing poplars distribution natural gas power generation so there are other our holdings in the functional field and energy sectors through that fund. All right next step says that earlier once the estimator sat committee makes their decisions and identifies which companies are the true bad actors that the state needs to avoid will work with our investment consultant to implement those recommendations. There is an exemption for act for eleven for investments in which there's a maturity date or something else where the state may encourage significant loss of it pulls out and that's at the end of that coast no difference between probably traded securities and publicly trader securities that index find that's a popular traded instrument we can easily transfer that to another investment we can sell that through the public markets the infrastructure find is privately traded the only way we can pull out of that is to find another investor in the secondary market to purchase our interest there may or may not be someone who's opened at doing that and if they are they almost certainly expect to sneak significant discount in purchasing it and so will the grounds of those factors and make a decision based on the specifics of what comes from the committee but I do some holoc that will be consideration for those probably traded securities. And then for them proxy issue ah the proxy voting reports under our policy that the managers have submitted reports to us at the end of the fiscal year will be revealing though I was president presenting those to our board and making those public and act as we review those will see what additional steps we may need to take to address proxy voting issues and they also want how long black rock is in the process requiring another infrastructure fund in which we are a partner that acquisition is not yet closed expected to close later this year and so they're all that phone will also be tied up into this if black rock is itemified by the in the ESG oversight committee and that i'm happy to answer your questions thank you mister white and represent spring are you recognized. Good morning thank you mr chair would you currently can you identify first the members of this five percent committee in the criteria that was utilized for their selection. I do not have a listen front of me they're appointed if I mean was correct bad the governor the attorney general the president protmspeaker the house. But it's elected back there I would be other elected officials. Representative you're recognized. The. Thank you mister chairman and thank you for that presentation and all of the good detail in there my question is just you mention that consistent with the legislation we pass last year you all are requiring investment managers to certify that they're not discriminating against energy fossil fuel firearms ammunition manufacturers can you just describe. What that process looks like how do you how do you certify that are they required to do that in writing so on and so forth sure what we've done is our investment measures we provide them with the rich certification on the prox the issue and that sort of case also refers them to the investment policy which they they not go in the end that they are subject to that investment policy and had follow that based as our is our directions and so they bet they've been signing those and returning those to us for our existing ones and then as we have new managers coming in we're having some certifications but also most cases were also adding language to the contracts the target backed these items thank you. Center handle. Thank you as shared you questions one and you may hit on the annual report is that how you follow up on the proxies and how you verify the information that you're getting is actually true and accurate information yes sir. Okay the cost to pull out. What's the cost to pull out er are they need these investments we've got so let me go back to the list have it on the screen let me separate out so looking at the index find and the bond find which together is about one point two six billion. There's there's two sets of physical impacts there one is just the administrative cost of pulling out and transitioning those to other uh firms right now we estimate the ceiling for those fees would be about six million dollars for that one point two five billion. We expect it'll be less than that but we think the ceiling is six million for the administrative fees the really unknown piece and is the second part of the fiscal impact is market timing you know if you in your personal portfolio if you sell a stock today and move money over in my note by that same stock tomorrow it's going to be a different price maybe a little higher may be a little lower and so in that process we may lose a little bit we may make a little bit just depending on the market is up or down in the following day. But there's some of the weeks we can't predict an advance was certainly trying to end and manage for that with the end of the day that's just when it depend on where the market is on those days that we make those transitions. And did I understand you a while ago that you got to find a buyer for it and that may come with a significant cause that you don't really know until you actually try to make the deal and and upon amid this to how it's two sides for the infrastructure phoned yes that's exactly right that is their entire entirely profit holdings they're not publicly traded there is a secondary market for private equity and for realistic funds like this where you can potentially sell your interest but you had to found a will environment one and they're they're almost certainly would be a discount and this again that the discount depends on where the market say out in a thousand other factors at that time just off the top of my head if we could dispose of that in the secondary market at less than a twenty percent loss I would say that's a pretty good result. And is there is the market pretty thin froar entities out there that would be willing to buy it or with all the published detail lawsuits and everything are we are we operating on a thin margin as far as potential buyers out there their adjust I don't know anything in that in its that changes from a day to day. Okay and then the last thing is based on which you anticipate the loss to be how far would that put us out in the retirement plan as far as you know being fully vested because that's one that we've been trying to get it going the right direction what percentages is going to raise it in the other direction if we sell it's I mean certainly every dollar is important I don't want to minimize there there for talking about no losses of five six ten million I wouldn't expect that to have a material impact on the actuarial valuations and on those evergation periods and funded ratio I think that I think I think we're a large enough phone though shouldn't affect them okay thank you thanks senator hammer and representative spring or you recognize thank you mister chair just to follow up with I would just like they asked mr white but by it to us the members of that committee along with the criteria if he was showed up with staff so that we can have that information oh well thank you center love your recognized thank you mischier mister white wait finish rain representative spring is questionable you are you are you finish arts when you begin to talk about the losses because now we're just talking about losses there's alan hearing about losses so when you say that the twenty percent loss are up to twenty percent loss given give me dollar figures sure so aren't that would be on the infrastructure phone specifically that find is at thirteen point eight million right now so you're looking at ten to twenty percent about thirteen point eight million is that was referencing on that potential loss for something has to be sold in the secondary market okay and so but the overall I guess the overall look it in impact of this legislation the overall. The. Again depend on market timing if I was if I was guessing now and I and I say that because you know I said so experience I just that state of the market when we actually do it. I would not expect the total expenses or lies. Dexe ten million that then that's just off top my head I would not expect to do so okay and then is there is there anyway I mean because I know they were pulling out of phones. It is there anybody track the the. The difference in what we would have. If if what we would have. Earned or maybe lous maybe if without this legislation is is there anywhere to track there. Ha. Probably not anything that be truly meaningful there's nothing to so many variables there it'd be hard to make a confident prediction one where the other. About and I say they keep it in mind it in a week we are diverse fart across more than a hundred investment managers and trying to compare just wine and say what we've done better if we had money in this one I mean you can try and model that after the fact but there's there's a lot of individual variables they're going to impact them inside he hasn't tried and say that yes we would have made an extra million dollars if we had stable okay all right thank you thank you miss chair. Center ham will you recognize thank you one life saying you you said you sent you no forms whom decide and you know you had yata but what was the penalty if they if you find out that they have violated that would we have written there's far any. You know phones whatever it's they're not fine but we would would move our business elsewhere and we pull out from that fine and found another vendor to take care of that force in doing that though. Would we be released from any penalties that they may have says against us even if it was determined that it was because of their actions that we made that decision I think that would certainly give us a good defence if they were to try to allege there generally our contracts are written on the public attractive they're written to allow us to come out tipping with thirty days notice so we have some protections built in there to get out of those contracts if we need to anyway about I would I would think that if they are involving the contract they would just give us a digital protection to say no you can't add this pill to you or this other sanction against us and I don't know if it you'd need talk to the lawyers when one but i'd like to see put something in there that if they yet they fraudulently sign it or if they do something that you discover later that they have misrepresent your violated day that it would at least create a pathway for it for litigation for us to be able to go after them for violation of trust and maybe the can lend some opinion on that but i'd really like she put some tease and of policy agreements because financially it'll trust them that much thanks. I understand thanks center hammer and represent the berch recognized. Mr white just one quick question no decision would be made to pull out unless the committee decides to do that is that correct that's great thank you. Okay thank you center petty. Thank you mister chair just one quick quick clarification when we're talking about losses are we talking about actual losses or lower gains or what what are we talking about when we talk about losses right so on the on the administrative experience that is an actual last last cash we'd be paying out well the clarify for them for the money we would recoup from selling those assets it'd be technology duction from that that we would lose out on those administrative expenses on the market timing note if you sell the day at ten dollars and about the same thing tomorrow at nine dollars ninety on since they're gained a little bit better to marry about ten dollars a penny I mean you haven't put an extra penny in there to either get the same number of shares you had or you're reducing number shares in order to reflect the catch that you have on hand that makes sense. In sixty sixty nine sixth. Represent one boy thank you miss she chair just for clarification the assets that were talking about this morning our investment in. Assets that we are saying we do not want to discriminate against correct yes sir so. From what you have seen with the black right group that you work with are you and your investment team satisfied that the investment in parcel for yours. Or solid investments and your good with the performance of the fines for for these through their way own yesterday yesterday where were satisfied with them thank you thank you represent warn and seeing no further questions from the committee mister white future kind of hanging out in case it was in questions at the end and we'll go ahead and take a misfetchers testimony yourself. The. And you are recognized. The. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here. The towns that we were given was to identify our black rock holdings and look at give an opinion on their. Tim a sea litigation. It's not moving the flats we're trying to figure it out. We have the subject matter expert on the way. We updated our investment policy statement as well in november of last year which addresses our proxy voting and compliance with our state and federal laws. We're requiring managers to acknowledge in writing that they will follow arkansas requirements and report to us within forty five days of the close of each quarter and we've been uploading all of those votes into our system so will be ready to produce a report following the end of FY twenty four. Also assessing if we will need any additional resources to be able to monitor fully of the proxy votes. The. The next thing just am on after that as we are looking at all of the states around us as it's mark was saying texas has identified fifteen restricted financial companies they have several less but the one that would apply to us is what they call their energy list and you have the fifteen companies you can see apers has no holdings in any of those. Oklahoma's less has six companies that are restricted again the only one that we have anything where then it's no direct investments just the use of bank of america as all state ancient caes are currently doing. Kentucky's last has eleven companies identified on it again apers has now direct holdings in any of these. We did throw in west virginia who recently a had their lists have restricted financial institutions of the five again apers has now holdings. So take the opportunity to just tell your little bit about where we are currently with the find from fy twenty two to fy twenty three we were up eight point eighty three percent and ended the fiscal year at ten point two billion if you look at it by calendar year of returns increased by twelve point three million billion sorry billion. Yeah. Well twelve point three percent not billion okay last quarter our investment fines is you read the paper last week said that our funds increased by seven point nine eight percent for the quarter that ended december thirty first. And as a friday the close of business are fine is currently at eleven point one billion For time for a generational finding of the fun. You can look at our historic market values on this slide that yes back from twenty from two thousand to twenty twenty four where we are currently as last friday and you see fluctuation as there is with the market but you can see the trend is going in the right direction. And that's all we have i'm happy to take any questions they can miss fetcher and the distinguished gentleman from permitted representative ward law. When they gave you them stars they didn't teach out a work. Mr know how to work the microphones I have a request to the chair gwent. I really want a commitment miss amy on her own graphs and her presentation that was really well done i'd like to see how mister whites organization looks matched up to those same graph so if he could provide that to you to provide to the committee that would be great as reasonable and I missed why can you provide that to the staff please yes mister anything else mister wardle. Thank you any further questions from the committee. Seeing none you have a hand out on ashers our dot representatives not able to be here today so should answer your questions so with that being said we're gonna your excuse will take about a five minute recess in then we'll get with the drug task force issue at him thank you. Ladies and gentlemen you'll start taking your seats will get started here in about two minutes. The. Okay good morning ladies and gentlemen and the next topic on the agenda is the discussion of the mission of the arkansas drug task force programming and for we get started and neglected to recognize my culture center hammer at the previous session see if you have any opening comments thank you sender hammer so late as a gentleman today we have a number of such subject matter experts present to shed some light on the arkansas drug task force program we hope to gain some clarity and on the structure of the mission in the funding of our drug task forces your synthetic opio or deaths serge by more than twenty percent two thousand twenty one killing over seventy one thousand americans. About twenty one and twenty two over a hundred nine thousand americans died from drug overloads. Fourteen thousand seven hundred pounds of fitness alone was seized that our nation supports and that's enough to kill every american ten times over. Setting all and operates or destroying our families in our communities. Now don't give me wrong I am awful rehabilitating our kansas that are suffering from opined addiction but reabilitation cannot save a recreational teenage drug user at a concert who was experiment with some type of club drug this laced with feneral. That's one of the areas that we really need to concentrate on is keeping the opinions out of our children's hands finally are number one priority as elected leaders as a safety security of all our cansance and I believe that we must do more to keep elicit drugs out of our canson's hands. You do that by fully funding those on the front lines and each of our judicial drug task force districts. Provide more prison beds in insist on the judicial system the whole leaders accountable. The challenges before law enforcement they are much different than it was thirty to forty years ago when we're concerned with marijuana and cocaine. We must address this issue become a model state in the war on opioid and fitness deaths. So today the topic good discussion we're gonna look at the authority and structure of her drug task forces the state finding federal funding as that forbids your calculations and distribution deep dps roll in dt of support in the DTF support in a role with the arkansas state police. We're look at that the alcohol arkansas alcohol and drug abuse coordinating council mission the dtf representation on the council itself in hopefully be able to discuss some best practices such as what they have the oklahoma bureau of narcotics as well as the mississippi dtf program so the first witnesses that will bring to the table today is that tom fisher state drug director in chairman arkansas alcohol and drug abuse coordinating council. In its shirt state here tom I get his sherp's daily is not okay all right we'll send him a supping on the so so if you would we're like a swear you folks end today law enforcement I trust you and the only one we may swear and probably be bob mcman you know always like the the jab the prosecutor there but we may possibly give him a buy so that being said mister fisher understand that you have some test money you like to shirt with us. Good thank you mister chair. And taking members for the opportunity to be before you today in the eight area are the seven areas that that were discussed II put together presentation. And under will start by saying that the drug task forces essentially our my definition. At least two law enforcement agencies and cooperation with the prosecuting attorney's office that are. Mission focused on the enforcement of architect uniform control substance violations. I'm not sure a map the state of arkansas let you know seventy out of seventy five counties are covered by judicial drug task forces there are five counties which are not benton carol period so we plasking. Of the nineteen drug task forces. The graph from which they receive funding or administrated by fifteen of those are by the prosecutor his office and for or administered with the authority or approval of prosecuting their office to the local agencies. There's a total of the hundred and fifty eight personnel associated with drug task force operations a hundred and thirty nine officers are agents serve in the capacity to enforce those laws forty five are fully funded by this grant twenty nine in some way partially refunded by the grant whether they receive a parcel. A portion of the grant for their salary were an overtime and eighty four participate in cant. Again that definition is earlier stated. Is in that first bullet point importantly here prosper thirties maintain the authority. Over the operations of the drug task forces operating within their judicial districts. Again I mentioned that they were their designate may be the manager of the grant they will stay compliance with our state and federal grand guidelines. Participating recipients who receive the grandfunding they'll comply with the rule approved october twentieth or sixty december eighteenth twenty twenty title uniform program operations for state funded multi jurisdictional drug in crowd task forces. When that roll those out the purposes the objectives. But those local match requirements are. They're operating budgets. Their organizational structure the reporting requirements. And training compliance and mandated meeting requirements. From that document privilegely mentioned that they're dts are required to develop an emotion with participating parties including the prosecuting attorney. Those dtf's hat must convene an oversight board to include the participating agencies. And the clabiter board meetings required at a minimum very two months with reporting of those minutes to the state drug director. Under the program uniform program operations there must be a dt commander who's really responsible for the oversight for the day to dave operations. There's also a fiscal officer who performs a program in the financial administrative duties. To note that it's the following for these positions can be matched from agency as long as it makes the requirements documented in the mo. For the state drug director's office. The drug director will only be responsible for establishing the oversight protocols and performing program monitoring. Basically collecting the information for the duties that are performed captured capturing the statistic analysis. The direct director also in cooperation with dfa will perform the financial monitoring of each default to ensure that the funds the grant funds are being expended. According to law and that the record system is adequate to provide a clear timely inaccurate counting of all the the asset forces revenues and expenditures. Just a little background for those that didn't know the drug director's office was created and eighty nine by definition service at the pleasure of the governor. But overall the direct director serves as the coordinator for development and organization framework to ensure that alcohol and drug programs. In the policies are well planned in coordinated. Yeah. Since two thousand and five. The drug director by statute shall report to the secretary of human services. It's the knowledge of february fifth pursuit to an mo between dhs and dps the drug director. Will start reporting and receive the evaluation from the secretary public safety. And i'll pause there to explain that a little bit. So you have a better understanding the reason for that. So prior to two thousand and seventeen the drug director's office was not control or the authority of what the state single agencies responsibility was the s s a. Is essentially that you have to say is the the agency that's responsible for managing federal phones dedicated to addressing. His returns but satishis prevention treatment and recovery as delegated by the as delegated by the governor. That role had been at the hsmith had always remained in the division of aging an adult habit services and twenty seventeen governor hutchison. Delegated then her law director carklane as the ssa for the state of arkansas to be included in the combined responsibilities of overseas drug task forces by the definition I just gave you earlier from the drug director's office but also to have that responsibility as the ssa for the state. Yeah. We explain how I came to the termination of I felt that that did he might be better served somewhere else. As I spoke with the national association of other state alcohol drug directors. A. Those are also those are individuals across the us who serve in the capacity as the ssa my question of them was is there any other ssa. That's part of this association that has a combined responsibility with enforcement prevention treatment and recovery. And the answer was no there was not so wark until was the only one. After I took office which is almost here to this date. I i'd started engaging other agencies like the department of health the attorney general with the department of public safety and looking for new programs and new program development related overdose death the collection of data. And how to resource. Drug task worses across the state. We were doing a bad job as a state we are doing a bad job of understanding the problem on the ground. There was not a single place where I could look to find how many actual drug over us investigations were going on across the state. What was the number today of the number of our cancers that were dying of an overdose and investigations that were being conducted. And I would say that it's communication having worked in drug enforcement for some thirty one years what was poor across the state. It's very likely. That somebody in phillips county or an organization or an overdose victim of. Who'd received that in all or some other poison that it caused them to overdoes. That that individual and that organization responsible for that is likely to be associated with someone who might be in fault county for plaski county. And I was thinking what was a good way for us to build out a resource. Valuable to the drug task forces so they could expand their intelligence. Engaged department of public safety colonel hager engaged the state of crime a director doctor brown. And started looking at the information in the ability to collect that information. I talked to the other resources when the state that did provide this intelligence metric that could be a force multiply for drive test forces and that included our federal partners within the state. Their experience of intelligence is is is far beyond that after a task forces. I also spoke with dps some of the structure that had with the refusing center. I had proposed and solicited these agencies and individuals with the effort to try to collect this information I say this to let you know that these were the other ongoing effects in performance of my job and duties and responsibilities as drug director that I was engaged. Uhm. The secretary put him was also at a point where sector putting was reorganizing department human services to better serve our kansas. And they were doing such a development of in the restructure under the office of substance abuse and mental health which was combining. Mental health and such issues performance management and oversight. And it's for these reasons that I approached the director of that that division and had a conversation that. Because of because of the restructuring that was occurring because of the effort that was being made at the h s and the things that we were doing on the day to day basis to try to monitor from a program management stamp point for drug task forces but also engaging at the possibility of these new ideas. That I felt that that position of the ssa might be better served by the heads. Secretary putnam and sector hagger had a conversation in the conversation and resulted in their decision to transfer me the individual the drug director to be responsible to report to the department public safety colonel hagar. The officer drug director has always been still is it at stake police headquarters. The performance and duties and trying to create the evolution of how to identify what was mentioned earlier by you mr chair of the real problem the opioid opportunity has it affects our kansas. It might be better sir for our kansas in the attention that it needs to be paid to the drug task forces it made sense and so there analyzed the reason for that decision. The. When I moved to the state federal funding sources. Therefore sources which phone drug that excuse me tom take a break right here in and take some questions with. If you don't mind but the far recognized representative bentley who by the way is just done an extraordinary job and the and also danny watson represent of watson over past several years and of dressing some of the issues with the the dts but. So i'm i'm kind of breaking this out and chunks because I don't want to the ball to get so big everybody loses what we've been discussing but are you said you know we were doing a horrible job all the years that we started the the dtf eighty nine I think you said and. In my opinion we're still doing a horrible job. I don't see read things changed other than moving you physically under colonel hager. My understanding the communication is terrible with the dtfs and in the drug director are being yourself and from talking to a number of the the commanders but. It doesn't seem you know we don't have a strategic plan to fighting the war on drugs you know from a military guy that's used to war plans we had a plan to attack the problem. Do you have a product do you have a plan in place that says this is how we're going to attack enemy and resources the training of the personnel all that combined in that strategic plan. So. Sir I would argue that the. The jack tax drug task forces have gone for years without the attention that they deserve. I believe that they've been up and operational doing the work of. Sometimes ten men with one what they have done for the status tremendous and I can show you from the provider mister doesn't make any sense. Because. If they're doing a the work for ten people with one guy who's their advocate forums and hate what you don't just get out of control we we have the approach to problem head on and fix it. Yes so whose responsibility is that well sir I believe that I was making a step in the direction to try to focus what had been historically a diverted mission focus historically upon entering this office I felt that that was a flood method in taking the step in the direction to do just that was to put the focus in the drug task forces to try to figure out how to address the problem that had never been addressed before maybe it's because of the complexity of the issues that are associated with it but they deserved at least some sort of sense of of leadership from where I understood where I had stopped where I was standing from the program side only and the financial side of the evaluation for that. That was my intent that was the purpose for that was to actually take a step in the direction which it make communicated me from commanders in the beginning was it's a shame that the drug director's office doesn't work report for the public safety because that in fact is what we need to someone who can do that. Okay so before we take a question from representative bentley have you ever sit down with all the prosecutors that are with each individual drug task for certain has oversight in in in talk with them about what their challenges are i've not had an option to know i've not sit down with all the process thank you and it represented between your recognized thank you chairman thank you director fisher for being here per day and I am all of us are very concerned what's going on our state I think are meeting a purpose today is what we can do to move forward to make things better so would that be instead. Going off with a. Chairman various questions do the individual dts out there have an opportunity to see what the budget is going to be before to finalize it can they share their concerns with you how is that the budget you know how is their budget finalized under they have an opportunity to come to you and say i'm concerned it but no way is that going to be able to fund what I need to found in my in my defense or do they have a chance to see the budget beforehand and they have an opportunity to come to you with their concerns about the budget. Yes they have and we've had many discussions about the concerns whether budget which has been the same as it reason to the next program portion of this to explain those budget the budget has remained the same every year. And I did a twenty I did I look back to twenty eighteen until now the budget had remained the same that had been remained the same because of of the level of funding available the availability of funding determined the budgets at one point insist the level of funding never increase in this and some worries in some areas decreased from here to hear that that was a concern the concern was brought up to the to dfa's explain has been has been. Very forward with that in that we we I believe they understandably they have heard from from that they've heard from me they've heard from some other drug task force commanders that what they're getting in their budget is not making. Ends meet what they're getting in their budget does it sometimes often keep their lights on her bills paid let alone apply for any wage increase there are mini. There are almost a venture to say there's all of the drug passwords commanders that are fully funded by the grant. Have not seen a pay raise. Then more than five years which was of deep of great great great concern I will tell you the thing that I had to do the thing that I had the opportunity to do at least the one thing that I had the availability to do can be explained when you go through the presentation of this next ported with a funding. Was from what governor sanders had provided as you know met with her which was a two point five million dollars supplement that was given this last fiscal year to the drug task but where it was at money where it were is it now the money resides with the fee via why has it not been distributed to the drug task force that was a reason why that two point five million we gave that to the drug director to distribute to the drug task forces so they would have the resource they need it was it to to live off of in coming years they they've got to get better in they've received a a very small portion of if they've received any of that at this point minor sending about twenty five thousand for df add up near to be two and a half million dollars. The answer that I can into that during the presentation of exactly where that two point five million dollars has been spent and how it's been spending it has been spent to maintain operations to this point for drug task forces and with your permission chair the financial person in the financial responsibility that the fna has has has a very accused county of the entirety of not only that line but also the additional lines should I find to bring somebody from here to explain exactly those lines are they here in the room they are speaking bring him to the table but in the meantime we'll take a couple questions from the representative ray you're recognized that you assurement if you if you could director can we go back to the map that shows the. The task forces in which counties they cover. I think he said there were five counties there are five that are not covered by a drug task force. There are far better carol plasky period can you explain the reason that we that there are five counties that are not covered is there some historical reason for that or that covered by some other law enforcement entity that's focusing on this challenge it just. Especially with palaski being the most populous counting state and anywhere that reads the paper so I frequently would know the challenge is particularly a in this county. The. Especially as someone who lives in this county I am curious to know what the answer is on that yes or there's there's three counties that you see there that are not part of dts plasky selling and bent county. There's those counties have multiple agencies and and again I would have to go from what I can tell you that I am aware of is that particularly plastic to your point you have jacksonville pder with bt north law rockety little rock pd in the plastic county sheriff's office all of which work narcotics enforcement operations you also have the availability of the drug enforcement administration then employees task force officers so that I would say that there are a lot of several agencies there within that aor that the conduct operations to effect outcome there but again that's to up to the the prosecution attorneys office to establish the drug task force whether they want to engage in the model that exists throughout the parts of the state the same things to better count you I mean we have multiple medicalities as well as county agencies that do in fact have been forced to drug specific enforcement operations and then there too or part of the dea's task force of of larger operations in that part of the state. Okay thank you. And sinner hammer you recognize okay and sender bright. Thank you mister chair so just looking at the very next slide about the detail personnel breakdown. Can you give me just an overall view of the hierarchy structure from an original standpoint with you being at the at the at the tip. And agents going down the bottom who reports to him or I would I would not I am at the tip of only the administrative side of that i'm not at the tip of any enforcement operations all those enforcement operations are order or really at this at the authority of the prosecuting attorney's office and also the board of of the council where the board that exists within each one of those dtf operations that has representation from there their agencies on in that. You would have extended earlier head of drug task force commander responsible for prospect to report into the prosecuting attorney for what what's happening there again II receive program management on what the month on a month of mouth basis they report to us what they're not just say as an example they'll give the number of arrests that were affected the number seizures what kind of seizures they had the number of firearms are counted encountered cases that were initiated in hours that were worked those are things that are reported backed up to my office for for purpose of program management so who did who determines who gets a fully funded dtf officer and who gets a particularly funded who gets them that they the the administrator of the grad. Who is again that they're provided a dollar amount it's only accessible available through the ground right so they're that they're the ones that sit down and discuss and work within the confines of the restrictions of their budget to determine assess what they can afford and what they can't forward so there's there's a huge deficit there for every df and I will argue that the dtf were in our digress is it so the prosecuting attorney's office of that dtf region is who delegates. The authority to that that drug enforcement group and do they collaborate. Do that the collaborate to the prosecutors in the proscue's clab rate to each other. And then it goes nowhere above that for mission enforcements and person that it has not been in. There are no ask how that had worked with people pardon in previous directors that it served in my position and other agents and officers the involvement my understanding from the director's office had been primarily programmatic it had been programmatic and making sure that what funds were available what access to accounts head balances in work with the direct house forces if there should have been an increase which there is not then in years or additional fines that should come available to increase whatever needs they might need. And my job was to make sure that to perform at least the communication aspect of here our balances. Here are deficits this is what we're able to do in cooperation with the effort okay alright thank you so mister fischer I guess you're you're the drug director but I don't see where you direct anything other than funding you just a collector of data because you're not directing in the dtfs on a specific plan to to address you know elicit drugs and irrespective districts. So other than finding I just don't see what you're directing so you be more like a cfo if anything so sender him. Thank you do you have to have the break out I was looking through here may we just have regarded as far as how much each county gets in funding. If you allow me doors mister smith can address that on the definitely so he had state your name please hear your position in what agency you're with my name is doors smith I am the administrator of the dfa office of intergovernment service services we administer me and many federal grants included j grants and we minister funding to the dts I didn't read isn't so you're actually with DHS administration go ahead please document a turn looking for is posted on our website and i'm sorry I didn't bring it with me I have a copy I do I have a copy with it to me but it's also posted on our website their breaks out the individual amounts there are budget it to the dtles. Okay and. Can you tell me how many from from the source of the grant down to the deep down to the actual dtf person in the field how many pummy grabs are there at the money I mean pony places does it stop before gets down to go through the prosecutors and down to the dtf for just educate me on on the flow of the money in. Okay so to wait a minute flows they are in the back of just a little something we can capture to finding the fa in as you don't historically the money is not sufficient under federal jegreen to cover all of the budget for the details so the diagram which is a federal award ear supplement state fund annually and also it's been supplemented by special revenue from the new draw crime assessment fee fine for several years so at in a time they flow of the money is such that in july of each year we are starting new awards for the drawer test. The finding data is available has to come from existing money is from the previous cycle because our federal grant doesn't calm down a new federal grant for a year doesn't come down until around september so the timing of finding what was always the issue it's been a issue for many years the way don't manner flows is that when we get the federal grant and we use last the sources of carry over my needs aren't stay dollars and in a special revenues we bring out a money we bring all the amount to the drug council to their arm coronating council and we meet up with me monthly but we also provide information on a balances in those phones and then around april of each year we determine how much funding we have available to find bt else beginning in july. With that information whilst determinations are made about what they're finding is sufficient and. Quite blantly is being the same budget from many years so there was never an element of increase in a budget so essentially it was is there enough fun into find out existing badges so around april we're bringing dollars information to the drug to the coordinating council we are a communicating cost we issued a direct sub wars to the ddless to rolls are to the dtl's who are arranged to the prosecutor tired of where the under to receive their green dfa issues that grant today entity which is being funded under find it to the dts higher than structure is set up some of state up a lot of definitely on under the arm asking attorney being a sum it may be a feeder set up just a little differently but we issued a subgrant directly to the entity the entity but we get the approval and review of those moneys through the coronating council that happens around april to start with a wars that begin in july in july we have money's rolling in the pairs we have not always hairs of phishing finding at the start of the cycle to fund a whole year. We have the expectation that federal followings are going to come in in federal funds were not quite sufficient been in aware before that it times we've had to get rain a day finds to supplement a portion of the total budgets that are needed so in the past we've had to pull it together our mind is from different sources with the special supplemental satisfactor was two point five million dollars that alleviated the strain into live last year for the first time we were able to not only fully find with no concerns about not meeting the current budgets which is round a little on a three point seven million dollars annually but we also have enough funding for sufficient for ard for two in a five physical year at the current level. So that's essentially how far new works might as has been distributed we spent about hair that was filled out half of that two point five me because I believe it's appropriate over two years so we've spent this supplementary finding to the dts in their budgets in that but just and I was in twenty five thousand dollars chunk amount that went to arm each day to hear as additional money but we have speeds have about hair for the supplement of money can follow so. Cut in federal funding had the federal funding stayed consistent been cuts or increases the the federal finances stay pretty consistent but here for some of it challenges or. Some are sometimes we in the state has a made a requirement the dead grant gets pionee gap penalised ten percent of the war for sorner which has been there for some time we have all. Other car abouts that are require you to be included in the green that was cars includes a portion of their grant we get about this this twenty twenty three go out with two point three million dollars and that two point three million dollars isn't available for all of it to repair through we have a course we have at me and calls it equates about impressing it there is the same are allocation which is they motive their ten percent comes out of tower but they two point three million dollars we get administrative calls and be in there or some car routes that are related to the federal agency required that we use five percent of the has through fundamentals for certain things five percent as we use for behavior help another fire percent has be used for prevention in education and being included in that two point three million years might as that we are required to pass through to specific local governments and the reason why is that those local governments are called their car smiled juice dictions they're not big enough to play on direct day grant so they're portion gets added to the state grant in a state has the requirement of passing it through so in in all and in it in all what we're passing through to the arm. Took for a dtf is used with somewhere based on a federal. Amount that is a person through. Is shoot around six to seven percent of the overall federal grand but that in another self only makes up about for the eight percent at the most of the dtl's entire budget. So if you understand what i'm going with that the federal grant not all of it is passed through to the details on about sixty seven percent get pairs your parents through but even passed through the six december percent that six of them perceived all it makes up about forty to forty eight percent of the bts total budget so that shows me that sunday but that's in the requirements of the grants that come down we have no flexibility over that date that's. Playing to the tune that they told us to saying to because that's the terms alright and if I may limit missed fish request for you now yield so. How much of the way we're currently structured. Is heaven in effect. Is having bearing on the effectiveness of how we're able to use the money in order to address the overall issue which is reduction and and that does want to translate all of all the money coming in the way we're currently structured. Is it time for a restructuring so we could be more effective with the money that we have coming in before we even have the conversation about adding more money to the way it's currently structured if you feel comfortable answering that. Well the restructuring of the other drug task forces. It's likely long overdue to being in combined with what. The funding provides for those drug task forces it's just just a terrible critical element I mean we could restructure the drug task forces and not address the funding which would be the issue that's really what we're talking about here is. Five years ago they get enough money to do the job that they were being asked today when they're still have they still have the same amount of money and that's that's that's just challenging it the very least to say if not were for the prosecutors port into the asset officer funds that they had in order to help supplement them keep the going this what you get done when it goes to the two point five in the question that you mentioned earlier I want to point out a quick. That. The one thing that was made very loud clear to me from the first day that I was I got here was that dear for being compensate or being reimbursed on a month and off basis and that month a month basis reimbursement was done because if you will the bank account didn't have enough money to advance the more money than then the bank account had. And that was causing from any stress and pressure to the prosecutors to the agents to everybody else I mean i'm and you've probably heard the same if not look for some small town home banks that were helping. Provide no interest money to get their agents pay and keep their lights on before. The next money drop came or the next crime fee assessment was collected together the account to get to the point where I can get paid whatever the reasons were for the delay and their funding it was really the uniform problem. When we first landed with what we had structured what we had money the two point five million dollars did exactly one thing that everybody needed which was it gave us the opportunity to start giving them quarterly advances and dollars you gave us the opportunity to go and get quarterly advances of dollars so that they would not have to worry about getting those salaries paid in all the maintenance and operation costs. And and that's what that's what the two point five had started by doing. The jag money for this year that we know that we're going to be awarded. Again she mentioned two point six million dollars as the overall word. About one point seven and all all that could have come back down to drug task forces but it should have dropped right now but. For. Which there are each year complexities with complying with the grant application and some issues that were part of submit submitting for the grant there's additional delay in that in that drop. That two point five kept just moving in a direction to keep everything going out the way it was. The structure. You have nineteen different drug task forces working for nineteen different prosecutors november to say none of the hand someone have five counties that cover that are covered by two individuals someone have three countries that are covered by ten. They all have a financial problem that's the common denominator between all of them they all have an issue with that and so. I truly am in was hopeful to sit down and begin the conversation that should have had a long time ago what is the longterm solution look like what is the problem. How can we fix it and what does that look like as it structure I don't pretend to know the answer to the entire plan what i'd hope to do was to sit down and have an engaged. Partnership. With the short task forces and hope to sit down and decide what was best for the state and everyone else in shipping away from those responsibilities at dhs and prevention treatment recovery was a first step to say it's time to focus in move what had been historically the responsibility in the job director's office in a direction. Could do we could do now without just having an entire restructure. You. Thanks center hammer so but really you've been on the job for a year and you haven't set down and had that conversation and that probably really should have been the the first day on the job I have to sit down have have that conversation but carbouts in grants are not the way to fund a war on drugs for one there's going to have to be a paradigm shipped and the way that we fund these operations and asset for picture it don't do the guys any good up in newton county or up in there that area unless you have an interstate flow and through your community and and colonel hagers guys I get up you know hundred thousand dollar money load they're not going to get any of that in it may benefit chuck bram of their loan county but it's not going to benefit anybody else really asset for future doesn't do are the rural counties you know there's no funding there for them. So you know the method labs are around from where I come from those guys are lucky if they have a rest your pickup trip so anyway so that's that's not a a solution right there so it's going to a couple questions representative gas way you recognize. Thank you mister chairman and thank you mister fischer for being here today. I know you have a difficult job in a lot of responsibilities so I just want to. Digging does some of this just a little bit particularly about your responsibilities you know as I read through the power point that you presented today it appears to me that one of your job duties is. Two supervisors the drug task forces or to to ultimately. Provide some oversight for law enforcement with relate with relation to drug enforcement in the state is that correct. On the law enforcement enforcement accident what enforcement is conducted and how that enforcement is to be conducted that is that that was not that was not my responsibility in order I believe this is to work with them. That I have several follow up mister chair. You recognize thank you misses if I can find so. Arkansas drug director show have the responsibility for overseeing the planning budgeting and implementation of expenditures of state federal funds allocated for alcohol and drink education permitted treatment and law enforcement yesterday. And a minimum of reading that incorrectly lost. Uh let's see. Arkansas drug director. Let's see. Established overseas planning and budgeting of education prevention treatment programs and law enforcement services as they relate to the enforcement of alcohol arkansas alcohol and drug law I mean am I reading that incorrectly not sure the planning and budgeting that's that's that is correct okay education prevention treatment and law enforcement services I mean law enforcement services are separate from all of that and I would take that to include uh some super baseline authority over the drug task forces I mean do you disagree with that. Those are not really what I would would what it says. From the previous for the previous. Roll the drug director. I was it was my attention it was my hope that that we would that I would stake a step more in the direction to try to actually work with the drug task forces. To try to figure out exactly what a strategy could be for the state how they being the only front line defense to drug crime loan for spending a state. That we could work together but programs together and build something that had never been built before something that had never been done something some programs and initiatives. And I would agree that the took to your point earlier that as I worked to try to develop the strategies with other agencies and try to identify opportunities to move and have a data driven approach to where we should structure resources that I very much should have set down with the prosecutors at an earlier point had a conversation with them to see what it was. That we could do I can do for my seat in order to better assist them whether it be individually or collectively I was sold out too long ago that you know in a meeting that. The journal test for software's work for them not for me. And I agree with that I agree with that I agree with that approach okay no way what I try to circumvent that the. Certainly and I understand that it's but you know I think to your point. There are nineteen drug task forces in the state fifteen of which are super based by prosecuting attorneys is that right there all supervisor prosecutors there's fifteen that are the grant is administered through those fifteen prosecutors but yes for all nineteen or supervisor on the authority for the prosecutors and have you ever convened a meeting of those prosecuting attorneys now so not collectively great have you ever convened a meeting of all of the commanders of the direct test forces yes sir I have okay when was there the fourth meeting for an all commander's meeting was had just two weeks ago. And that beating was we do have. Which typically have been on job eleven months but my understanding from previous role and speaking with commanders that they had quarterly meetings quarterly meetings to approach the budget problems concerns issues and opportunities that might come their way. In those quarterly means of subject to additional meetings should there be something else come up or some information that should be shared with them the fourth meeting the fourth meeting was not politized for not on the date sir but it was about about three weeks ago which was was was was sent to it was which will send an email on a mandatory commander's meeting it was to do several it was to do the things that we are done in the three prior was so addressed the concerns about there were rumors that the drag grant had not dropped and that the funding may not be there to finish the year and I want to do a sure them that in fact that was not going to be the case on what we are doing to resolve that it was also to talk about other other operations other efforts that were being made in the areas of establishing secure communications that they had never had and what we were working with dps on described identify through a winds but. The one thing was also the communicate that this morning had been signed to let them know that the transfer of my myself provisioned had been moved from dhs to dps and it was. I understood that the use of the word mandatory and also the context of the of the email may have been inflammatory to some of the prosecutors. Who I invited to also come to this meeting and no way was that my intent when nowhere was my intent to to exercise some sense of authority over the share must come because there was really standard language that had been used in the past. Just one more follow up mister thank you recognize the latitude now certainly I understand that and that you know apparently there's been some. Issue there I i'm not familiar with all the the email traffic and whatever else may have existed but clearly it sounds like there were some kind of issue there but you know I think in your position you have to approach this from a spirit of cooperation you're prosecuting attorneys aren't your enemies. And as the drug director I mean in a spirit of cooperation you could have invited them all to the meeting I mean you've been in this job for over a year you could invite them to a meeting sat down discuss the issues and developed a strategic plan by this point could you yes sir. The. Which is a little bit concerning to me but I never the less I do have one one or follow up so I talked with my local commander of my local drug task force in the second judicial district recently. And he talked to me about high intensity drug traffic areas i'm sure you're familiar with that one of the things that he mentioned to me because you know i've worked pretty extensively on the final issues. We passed the fent along twenty twenty one defend on enforcement accountability act twenty twenty three. I was very involved with that and so you know I just had the question how is this spent nor getting into the state and how can we stop it. And one of the things that he talked to me about in jonesburg and pira gold he said it was his experience that the majority of that fitten appeared to be common for memphis back this way lot of the fent know another drugs that are coming through the state are coming up from the border texas they're coming to texar canada then they're coming up to. Little rock from there and so we talked about high intensity drug trafficking areas understand the federal burning associated with that. But it it was just alarming to me that west memphis. Is not a high intensity drug trafficking area. I'm as like the biggest truck stop in the country I mean I couldn't tell you how much freight moves through west memphis and I have to think with all that break that there's gotta be drugs and lots of other things associated with it we don't have a high intensity drug trafficking area in west memphis text arkansas not a high intensity drug trafficking area despite apparently that being a thoroughfare through which a lot of illegal drugs are in the state and so. And we have you thought about a strategic plan as to how to combat these drugs as they as a poor and our state in the areas that they're can most commonly make in their entry I have I had to into into apply for how to fit it to be applied and receive how to funding granting the process goes to the golf coast had initiative to which currently there are two initiatives that are active in the state northwest or console being one established many years ago and then obviously central arkansas with a harder initiative program through the central day little rock office at state police and those are to update highest hideous absolutely and it's is absolutely an extension of opportunity for not just funding but also additional resources. It it is it is part of an opportunity to be comprehensive in a strategic plan to which. I would have joined the sitting down and having those discussions about looking to those options and opportunities when we look at what would be not only just what's the what's the fixed for the financial crisis as it relates to the overall funding of drug task forces one of the what are the supplements to bring to to bear with hida and again looking at some other states and we which I have spoke to and then talked to you know the where they are today with their high to programs where they are today in their other supplemental resources is is they are there is as an evolutionary issue they started with just a small opportunity to continue to grow in manufacturer and multiply those opportunities here to year and and I was I think we are as a state I think we are in the drug enforcement world not even to the step one what we should have been a decade ago and where I hope that we could start moving in the direction that this conversation will promote okay and we're gonna move on here just a second whom were if we have tomorrow drag secretary hagger up there to take table and talk about a hider in some of the issues or that he's deal with in creating the new interstate interdiction guys that do a tremendous job in a very proud to know a bunch of those folks but. This is something that kind of bothers me as well I don't know if you've seen this chart but this is the finding for the DTF s in also for prevention and treatment funding out in the game in us but. You're you look at the the prevention and treatment. It went up five million dollars between twenty one and twenty two. Are dtfs went down four thousand dollars. Yes her it's an issue not the there's a problem there so that's a not looking out for the guys on the outender in the bushes and is fighting the war when they're worrying about whether not they're going to have a paycheck or not so this going to represent springer. Thank mr chair must cheer I have a couple of questions based upon the questions they asked by representative gaza and I appreciate the questions that he has my first question has to do with the make up of the alcohol walking so architecture of abuse coordinated in council on those persons the prosecutors who who are those persons that make up the committee allow me out i'm sorry about through the program with kind of moved I kind of got job credit i'm just trying to find out if they are in fact prosecutors because if there looks parcel could as other persons on on their council then I would like to hear add notice that we do have some persons here for there are from the prosecution it turns out I would just like to hear from them as well cheers and even will bring them to the people that are on here because II would like i've heard for too far to say represent gasoline has some good questions so I would just like to hear from from the people that are here today so we can sold but that may be able to pull the testimony together to have an understanding of what what extra instruments barren because i'm getting bits and pieces that i'm not quite understanding what the real issues are here so I would just like to know what the issues are in is coming confusing to me because I really don't know what your job is supposed to be in the end what role the board the coordinator council has so i'd need to have an understanding about there thank you just in our have the procedures at the table when mister so and tom if you can well just go ahead and will run through the slides and we get the prosecutors and I want to make sure that lead time for the commanders of the drug task forces to come testify so do it please glad yes. In relative to your question about the council the council was established in eighty nine and it overseas what was it was a fairly mentioned the planning budgeting of the overseas the planning and budgeting of education prevention and treatment programs with law forcement services um. As they relate to law enforcement of arkansas holiday law to effectively efficiently come about the abuse falcon drugs in the state. Offer or monies perceived by the state of arkansas. For drug law enforcement education and prevention shall be reviewed by the coordinating council for the disbursement accountability and evaluation. The council so have responsibility for seeing for overseeing planning budgeting and implementation of expenditures of state and feral funds allocated for alcohol and drug education prevention treatment and law enforcement. And the council should review and coordinate all school based drug radication prevention and awareness programs that are funded by the state. Continue I think the duties responsibilities to include as well developed training and education programs for the criminal justice personnel and drug related matters. While with the leader. Authored authorized to develop rules and procedures including establishment of committees for the approval of funding and other purposes. And currently the committees that exist at the council or the prevention education treatment committee. Policy and procedures in law enforcement committee. The council also system building community based prevention. Councils in in planning and coordinating the prevention activities promoting these programs developing stable funding sources. I just disseminating information into the community. The. I don't mean solability through your slides but just to continue through all this would be working with avis groups in the business community and youth. Work with federal state look along forcement. From the council standpoint to ensure that there's an integration of systems with law enforcement activities and a form of such fun since necessary to carry out dues and power set forth. As to the council make up their thirteen administrative officers they're represented by the people that you see here was thirteen come from the drug director's office alcohol in germany's prevention from DHS. The director of the state police commissioner the highway department of edge gives you commissioner department of education the director of the state highway and transportation department. The director of dfnam the general of the national guard. The article attorney general the crime lab. The department of health. Alc and community corrections but there are fourteen. Governor appointed positions. There's a police chief of sheriff a drug court judge prosecuting attorney. A private citizen has not there's not employed by the state of the federal government. The director of a publicly funded alcohol treatment program. There's a school draw counselor. And the director of a drug abused prevention program and also representation from the driving long toxicated program. There's a health professional but four members for members are at large. And by definition have demonstrated knowledge of love or interest in alcohol and drug abuse prevention at least of two of which have heard. Or shall be in recovering process in the recovering process. Okay mister fisher from here on the asset for future I think that's only thing remaining desert on the site so this do the readers die just condense virgin of that or we're going to be here they got a meeting and here at one o'clock so we need to get through that so if you're just give us readers I just version on asset for picture and will go on to the prosperous years i'll be the first port the first portion of the set for a concentrate from five sixty four five or five it's an overview of basically where this proceeds come from that they remain at the from the prosecutor's discretion as it sure relates to. The. Our office the drug directors office that if they see twenty thousand dollars a year or skews me twenty thousand dollars for county the prosecution's going to notify our office. That in fact that that accounts gone above twenty from that to went from above twenty twenty percent of the proceeds of any additional seller money goes to the crime lab while the other remaining eighty percent stated with the prosecuting attorney. Essentially drug task forces can use forfeity property and money in fortune. The balance is under two hundred and fifty thousand dollars the distribution of those assets as at the discretion of the prosecutor to reflect with those local state agencies if they should receive what they're participating in any events that led to those users arts so it's at the prosecutor's discretion. But the bounce over two fifty the balance over two fifties is ordered to the drug director's office to be transferred to the special state asset for for your phone. You don't other mention there's it if any expenses are paid for property forfit they should provide the drug director's office a you know in accounting an automatic accounting of those expenses. Just real quick cease property eighty percent of the properties deposited into the drug control funded or retaining law enforcement see or the prosecutor twenty percent she will go to the crime lab. The only coverage I just you know for the drug director's office is this if any aircraft is forfeited. The drug director's office you can only use that her craft for drug interdiction efforts that it shouldn't be sold to but I should be sold it will says how is or if the architect holder according council determines that the aircraft should be sold. I just go on we're not going to have any or not have any aircraft that's right just an overview of joke toll fine basically the drug control funds that are held by the look long for agencies or the prosecutors they're supposed to provide through the drug director's office of biannual review of the the expenditures and the money's received out of that account. Just so everybody is also aware it is special state asset for your phone. The first hundred and fifty thousand dollars in that fun is transferred to the university of arkansas criminal justice is to. That's based on language in an appropriation any the amount over one hundred fifty thousand dollars twenty percent of that is transferred to department to corrections and the other eighty percent is transferred to the absolute shows the council organs are alcohol drug corner counsel for. To be distributed by the rules and procedures from the council to give you account balance awareness there was a zero balance in twenty twenty time to the twenty twenty two and twenty three. Um there wasn't there was a a deposit in their for thirty nine thousand four eighty but we currently have fifty three thousand dollars two hundred and ninety fifty three thousand two hundred and ninety dollars in that account. State monies and special state asset for your shown to be distributed by the council. And shall be distributed for purposes of interdiction drug interdiction education edge per. Eradication reabilitation or the state cram up in the drug courts. And there's language here about federal forfeitures that exceed the amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars but I can make the short for you there does nothing is no longer exist federal forfeitures as of twenty. Twenty one. In the amount over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars are not dispersed into the specific asset for extra fund for the united states part of justice. All those moneys were returned to criminal justice there wasn't right now for how that would be divided to the agencies received this over that the breakdown was twenty five percent. Says. Again I could go through the numbers but again it's not existent yes. So it was discontinued there some language in that last five percent to what the language from doj said in that four hundred and one thousand dollars was returned back in twenty twenty one of those counsel remained zero. I didn't mean to rush but I understand your need for interesting in time so before you get away from the table. My recommendation if you will you don't work for me and neither secretary hanger but I really think that the secretary you the prosperous coordinators office the sheriffs and achieves association the governor's office and representative sit down and and and try to come up some type of game plan because this has been a mess ever since danny although it had the sanitation of business years ago a garbage collector running the young as the drug director so there's got to be some work done on that and i'll leave it at that and singer hammer has one last question. That this year just my question just a quick rapid phone answer data DHS originally had this kirk claim was the former drug director correct yes they're not through men brander of understanding dude has got transferred over to public safety of which that who you work under an answer to that correct. Yes for the memorandum yes but yet personally when random that was referenced in the notes and in the way I would perceive your role is to be the coordinator of all of the efforts that are out there working in conjunction with all the agencies. And I think represent gasway reference you might have some oversight overlap officials and stuff like that would allow the work is being done both on the ground under the local jurisdiction answering to the local jurisdiction correct yes okay so could you provide us. Could you provide us a list of old the median situation had since you have been in your role as far as con you know coordinating with all the various agencies that are that are supposed to be under your jurisdiction to pull all this together like you know meetings with prosecutors meeting with shares office all of all the meetings that you've had so we get a snapshot of all the effort that's been been put into up to this far is that dual okay art thank you and miss chair just recommend that because to stay out so can be dispersed to the to the committee please absolutely thank you thank you and mister better if this meeting had been open to for public comment. All the mamas and daddies in the families that have lost family members because of your eight fatima this room would be for and there wouldn't be happy with the way that we're administering this program and the way has been administered from a and realized you inherited it but you've had it for a year and there's there's got to be something has to be put in the place and we've got to get with the program okay yes so with that being said thank you for your test money appreciate you taking the time to be here and with that the prospect of coordinators mister mcmahan and prosecutors I think he's got some guest with them but if you'd like to come to the table please. And I say with representative i'm not gonna be here the next term that represent dentally has been heavily engaged in this for a number of years I think she's agreed to take the ball bother by the horns. Welcome please please have a seat and with that being said there if you state your name who you're wealth and will move forward both make me and prosecutor coordinator carol cruze on the proscuting attorney for the twentieth usual district which is faulter band bureau and insert jeff phillips the prosecuting attorney for the fifth judicial district pop johnson and franklin. Time todam crossed kidnaturally for the fifteenth judicial district car way log in scott new thank you mister right man i'm gonna make some general statements if that's okay then it will be available for for questions obviously you've discussed the the makeup of the DTF s or anything like that we can answer questions if you have any on that but basically in regard to the commenting about the funding issues a little bit history hopefully that'll help that the committee are proskies association has been going to washington meeting with our congressional delegation for i'd say fifteen or twenty years every year we go and we talk about burned jack money so one of the things we do is talk about the need for burn jag to be increased because of the many things that it does to help law enforcement one in most importantly being DTF s maybe ten twelve years ago I actually was a little longer than that we were up there for that very visit and we were faced by some questions and one the questions was what are you doing back home to help the problem is not just a federal problem and that's when we came back in two thousand and seven in came up with the idea for the drug the assessment that reps and bentley amended this past session so that was a result of what meetings with congress we came back in and we implemented that so the role of prosecutor at that point in addition to trying to lobby for increasing burned jag is to make sure that we educated our prosecutors are depending prosperous in our judges on how to you know use the drug fee assessment because there were many misunderstandings years ago and then we had some prosecutors that you were weren't quite clear how that worked they thought that they didn't have a dt they didn't administer the drug the assessment so again we had to educate our own people about how to do that and so that's been our role with regard to funding and we appreciate option that you all are looking at more dedicated funding because it's obvious from the testimony we've heard that with burned jag in the drug for assessment it's just not doing the job on these dthere too important to not address something like you all trying to do right now we come in jal for that but there's just a general you know background some information on the funding in our involvement with. That would be happy to answer your questions on that but I know there was a question about the drug council we have one prosecuting attorney representative represent spring and we have one prosecute representative the drug council that happens to be careful I mean I think you've been doing it for handful of years but we've had various prosecutors through the years doing that and I myself assetting you know as a visitor from time to time so we can answer questions about the ad in and again that it's really all the general comments I have in in what you will be happy to answer any questions that I leave anything out. I appreciate mister mcmen in a. I have a special concern about the rural. Drug task forces which mister phillips mister tadam you're very much where you don't have an interstate run well mister a little bit and they do pretty good on seizures out on interstate forty there but my concern is a lot of the rural districts they just don't you know they're not getting asset for your money and they seem to struggle a lot more than any of the the ones on sixty seven one sixty seven interstate and so forth so do you see that with other proscriptors that you talk to with the dtfs. Well we both have rule counties yeah we we see that to some degree we we also don't have an interstate you know franklin county and johnson county but are we see that with our numbers and what we're able to the man power we have we're able to put out there after a lot of times our agents will have to work over time and be careful about that because there's not enough to pay them in the overtime. And it invite my follow up tompling fifteen district. What one of the other things that happened in in your rural areas of the stage and see from that may have been uhm not only i've got two agents working and we got an administrator that that also is certified and can work some but all all of those rule shares office and chiefs of police where we have on. Their departments are sparse their press for funding and so they don't not only. They don't have the resources to. Put towards the drug trafficking problem and so the the dtf in our area creates an avenue where those officers can reach out to my agency that's kind of how we're set up where hey we thank this guy's traffic in they'll get with with our agent they'll work up case together and usually it's multiple agencies usually that's going to be the shares of his chiefs of police and quite passing even a trupe involved but everybody has do that fart with it like my district the I have the interstate run through comma county everything else can allow zim to washton ozarkmountains. Um but there's a lot of lot of drugs coming up up how way seventy one that through tax canada up up going to fort smith i'm assuming up into northwest arkansas but you know that's an area that I feel like it's not you know is not enforcing it and it's really a a man power issue I think we could be making more of a dent there than than what we are if we had funding to do it. Thank you mister taylor in and I know the hasset forperture and interstates mean a lot because you'd like it chuck gram what he does over their long county when the state please comes over does interstate interdiction over there and and it can be quite profitable but a lot of the newton counties and and areas like that they just don't have those resources available so are you aware so my understanding is that some of our DTF agents they can pulled out of the you know they're duties as a dtf agent and they end up investigating homicides because some are serves departments or understand underman and they need a season investigator to investigate homicides or other crimes do you see that very much over in your areas. Jeff phillips no I haven't seen that okay they they will assist when needed and probably intelligent and a lot of things under the you know. But as far as active boots on the ground I haven't seen the I think where that more commonly it doesn't happen in my district either but I think in some of the other dts where they have a officers downloaded from a shares department or there were a city police department you know they're their boss is still there chief of their share of southeast as hi we need help on a harm side can't come out now you know we have responded in the emergency situations my agents have gone to help control the scene or something like that that would be they're always willing to help because they work together that I haven't seen I haven't seen an agent you know take a lead in murder investigation or what I want that to happen in your right they're always willing to help but. For some reason we're not always ensuring that they're going to have a paycheck one year to the next and that's that's a a tragedy and itself so cyner him. Okay yielded to represent a bettly thank you thank you for being here right are two quick questions what can we do to make this drug free assessment more effective is there things that we can do as legislature what we do to make their words actually doing what it was intended to do to begin with and where those money is going to if they're not coming to you. I believe the money is all probably going to the right place i'm not sure representatively that's the problem that I think one of the issues that that I think is developed through the years with with a lot of fines in costs as we we have definitely now the pain in installment. And so rather than you know in the in that the perfect world you know the fines assessed in the one hundred percent its paid in that way that phone would probably have much more money in it but I think the installment fees is it's just a reality with our system right now and and so that money isn't being put in there as fast as it was and again we're trying to do our part to make sure that they are assessed in the appropriate situations and I think there's been an increase in in that is as well but but in terms of pure numbers i'm just not sure that that phone by itself you know with burn jag is is sufficient and that's why we're you know asking for some other type of dedicated finding in addition to the drug the assessment better certainly a step in the right direction but it just doesn't appear to be you know the answer. A follow up chairman that's okay recognize so what can we do to get a a unified structure the ratter differ so that we can err. Fixed them the situations that we have okay so I think it's important for us is legislator to see that we have a uniform approach across all these nineteen dtf so that we can. Do some designated funding as I think we'll agree we need to ram a hundred percent as you know teach you guys more furniture or the things that we can do to unify the procedures of the policy so that we can get some structure there are two so that in the end we can get some general revenue. Definitely II think one thing and some of it is is kind of there and and i'll change that i'll give you a little bit example when when I was elected in in in the year two thousand the dtf amount district was under fire as the out have a lot of problems on a county issues and the state was the drug and alcohol council was going to do away with their funding and I actually went before I took offers and asked the council the way to I took off so I could appear informally I ask. For that funding but but early on there was a financial problems with dtafs I really think most of those problems have had been addressed and through through the drug coordinate in office over the years you know kinda acting as a cfo and given us financial structure better accounting better reports on on our monthly numbers those types of things have have all improved greatly and I think doing those type of things to give yourself uniformly it is is wonderful while I don't want to see happen is is these local areas because money in in my area are a little bit different than jails or or different thing carols or different thing what they have over in jonesburg also our resources are are vastly different. And and so so I would steal you know whatever whatever the legislature road they decide to go down I was still like to have had that flexibility where we can be more responsive to our community and you know and in the enforcement aspect of it but II really think the status come a long way as far as forcing dtfs to account for the funding account for their time and also their production and I think you you've got all those numbers I agree with that and if I could interject as a young deputy prosecutor from the in the nineties. You saw a lot of lot of bad reports about dts a lot of black as you don't see that that much anymore sell them and so that that. That cooperation is an accountability has I think created that but local control for the etfs to continue to function is and function productively is crucial my opinion and I think the commanders would tell you the same thing. Well and and I also think that if you have a structured revenue stream for our dtfs is a lot easier to account for the funding instead of you know a little bit of a jag grant here or asset forbit your money and all these different sources you know if we had a a revenue string to support our our are worn on drugs representative springer thank you miss terra my question is for mad and prosecutor since you are member of the coordinating council can you share with us so i've taken the juice served in the past you can use to share with us the discussions that you paid as a member of the council over the past year. Thank you for that question so I am the proscure representative on the council. And I think some of the other ones have been have sat in the council very much focused on preventing a treatment and so dts often do even in those meetings seem to be put on the back burner both in the funding as the general very mentioned but as well as even the discussion and and the approach that often tends to make up kind of a small amount of those meetings and not to say that that's any person's fault necessarily but does seem like if you attend those means i've incurred some other I legislate towards to attend those meetings or the third thursday of every month at the state police um but come and see what what the discussions are about and it is mostly is mostly focused on her venging treatment and so you know we just were thinking on behalf of dtfs that we need dedicated funding absolutely and just are really the attention that it deserves because certainly represent barriers and a great job of highlighting the the crisis that we're seeing. Really around the state and you know these rural areas and II have some my districts a little different right I have faulter county which is a big county but then it also buried so I clinton and i'll wait to march on gilbert and so the dts are so interval in those rural counties that's really who local trust that's who they call and that's who has because my my agency they live there they work in those counties and they had the relationships that they need they have the trust of the people and so I think we are all united the prosecutors in the commanders in that we do need to no matter what the structural change might be that we do need to maintain that local control and so that there's a real small areas don't get overlooked. That they sometimes could possibly get overlooked by some sort of estate type agency but. The council serves a sastroy function that you are so but certainly it. Um there's a couple others on there that have anything to do a dtfs with the vast majority of the council just really does it doesn't have their job doesn't have anything to do with etfs and so. Shows up in the meetings as well. You recognize. If I plan in order to focus in on certain concerns around the within the different out of prosecutor dish fixed across the state. Do you see a need for a plan in order to focus in on the concerned. A plan like a constructural change or a plan or a to address whatever concerns that have been talked about here today yeah so I think that within each desert I know director fisher settling o two no two under a task force look the same and that's true as the forest may be how many agents there are or but almost all of the d t s under the elected prosecutors over the heat was going to be hires and fires those commanders and agents and and so they're they're similar all in their pay or dedicated to a certain area and are working with other agencies a longer agencies within that district to a figure out what the problem is you know who they know who's who the big dealers are for example who selling where it's coming from. And so that the biggest concern that I see is any more money it would be staggering with in other commanders come up and answer questions about this but to see what these are law enforcement agents make you know their salaries is pretty staggering and certainly we are often loaning money from asset you know for for buy money for drink united to buy to do the undercover buyers and things like that for equipment my district is a little bit lucky and that are counting to give us some offer space so we don't have to other counties have different situations as far as that but it's pretty dire in its also a recruitment and retention problem for these agents when they're often you you come to interview dtf and you've heard your law enforcement is but he's talk about me and we are musting a paid last year or we had a loan money and and proceed you know we're loaning money from one account just to make payroll and we would never allow that to happen to you know the same police for the highway department or other long force and agencies like that and yet that's really become the norm and dts were also used to it has at wednesday that phase us any more but that's just spectrum to the cake of what DTF r and so that's why we really appreciate your asking these questions but so I think that the biggest problem is they need more funding. And then certainly I know the prosecutors group in this pipe and places but we have even in commanders have you then brainstorming some ideas for if we were going to have some structural changes and changes that we all think as a group would would been affect. A and allow us to really dive into a real strategic plan to tackle this really monumental problem that we're seeing so looking forward to have more conversations about that mr chair last question so it might hear and you say that they're basically the prosecutors are aware of what there's individual concerns or and they they know what they need to focus in on however is funding this keeping them from doing the things that they need to do is that is that like a summation of what i've heard you say. And the others are gentlemen available as far as the I think if certainly you can ask the commanders but one of the biggest issues were saying shortly as a absolutely as a funding problem as for as me use her miscertain say he's got his his district starts like in the middle of the statement was all the way over the oklahoma and he has two agents rate and so the the amount of ground that these agents have to cover even in faultner county and so call my police department has a big narcotics department but outside of the county which is still a whole lot more people you know they usually have about one person working and then drug task force assistant in and I have a person assigned to so think when you look at from a geographical standpoint of how many people are living in those counties and the kind of drugs that are flowing and you might have one or two agents you can see how when I say funding I mean that even trickles down to things like number of agents are ability to pay over time. I've heard some of the commanders talk about their guys will get middle night and come out and work at a drug bust and they know they're not going to get paid for it but then it sir is harder to keep those people in your agency when they're off or more money to go work at other law enforcement agencies and by more I mean you know could be tens of thousands more. Do you have something else to end up. One thing i'd like to share with you in my district a say that maddy tf have established someone that selling large amounts of less safe and they're willing to sell a large amount. My dtf can afford to pay them they can't they don't have enough bar money to pay and get a big drug burst and take fintel off the road because they don't have enough money. To buy. It's just an indication of where we are with our funding thank you so my understanding also well it's not ours and I know that the ones that are really out investigating narcotics trafficking and so forth are dfs on the interstates when colonel hagers guys get up you know five hundred pounds of cocaine off the. The interstate they turned that over to the df guys and then they called the dea the state police aren't investigating anything associated with it so as important for members to understand that these guys. The detfs are the ones that are actually investigating and doing under cover work and they're making the drug buys and that are really out there to tip of the speaker fighting the war on drugs so with that being said does our drug task force commanders have a a seat on the council so they have a voice. The. On the alcohol and yes they do not so any particular reason why would you think the council would be open to having a DTF commander so at least they can hear what's going on and discussed. Well I think it's a great idea I don't think it's called for in the statute that lays out who has to be on there so I think i'm the first prosper in a while who's been on there who has a DTF so that I am able to to speak out for dtf so to speak among. Well I don't think that that would be important it is very important but but no they as it's as it's a numerated right now it does not require the appointment of a commander but that's a that's a great idea okay thank you and so i'm referring back to the start there showed earlier for way back up at the chart the detailed funding has been the same for many many years but we've seen substantial increases in the prevention and treatment funding but would you not think in my simple mind if I keep the drugs out of these people's hands then you're probably going to have to spend less money on reabilitation in the treatment programs does that seem logical. But instead we continue to raise the treatment and prevention we're not doing anything for the enforcement arena. So okay we're in center hammer. But sure and just try it my mind round all the so far questions don't take a personal that you may feel beat. Your alternative who who ordered dtf is at least they've already done audit on your as far as the money that you receive and so we could go to legal to get a copy that is that great. Okay then the second thing bob you mentioned fees and have to do on the payment program what's the balance od right now do you know what the total dollar is owed I do not I know there's representatives from the aoc here but i'm not sure they would they have that amount or not but I know that I do not have that information could we get it or are pointing I can contact the ocean see if there is a way to get it I know from a prosecutor perspective we we don't have any mechanism in place for me to know what it would is owed okay but I will be happy to look into that okay thank you and then so do you did you guys come here with a number in mind or do you have a plan that you could defend in asking for more money do you do you have the plan put together says if we had x number dollars this is what we could do and how we could make up a dan. Sooner we've been communicating with the commanders I believe they have that financial information that we certainly would support I don't have that with me here but I know we have been communicating them with them rather on on an administration plan that involves the finances is as well as maybe some changes in terms of getting an individual dedicated to dealing with it that the detailed individual dtfs in terms of training funding in things that but but what I hear you saying is that what I just heard you say make sure it misunderstand his funding for a person but what I hear is you need more personnel in the streets or you need to be able to pay the personal and street enough in order to be able to keep them in all of the above all the us okay I just will make sure i've had another question that mischer we're going to get the commander yes they were there in that okay then here's my question bob so i'm i'm looking at the big picture if all this came through and we put more money into this you had more wrest you had you know we begin to see the need to turn down as far as you go sell your drugs and summer state because it's come to arkansas get you kind of deal. Right now we had a pretty good backlog in the counter jails as far as the number of prisoners we've got the space capacity be able to hold we got a new prison supposed to be coming down line but I may be behind down curb and i'll think we got a sight picked out I don't think we got funding you know all those kind of things and we're talking several years down the road. What are we going to do with some when you give arrest as prosecutor than just turn back out on the streets because if we're going to put more money in and on this side and we're going to turn it down you know because we give DTF the resources they need to go out and kitchen we got to be able to hold them somewhere we're just gonna be turned in amount so talk to me for that about that for just a minute because me that's that's part of the discussion is we do all this but if we can't hold on. Then what are we done. Speak to part of that is one in in more your rural areas there's actually probably free bed space available to hold hold someone on a significant traffic in charge the other thing about about the traffic case as we've had their their mostly people who aren't cancelled. And so their bonds are set relatively higher but i'm trying to think of wine where they didn't make like a two hundred thousand dollars bond a hundred thousand dollars. Two hundred fifty thousand dollar bond in my district and so allow those people will be out on up on how money bond and not actually in the jail until tell their cases disposed of and that's just because ironically I know it's hard for you all to believe that that that people move in this amount of quantity of drugs would have a bunch cash but they all have access to money and you know that's why we we've pushed for some of the years on asset for future because that's really the only way you know this is all about money amming these people are crafting off other people's addictions and these things. And the the and all to make money and so if you wrong a pokem that's where you folk but but but I i'll you know it it has been luck everything else in our criminal system you know you've got a country who's more of a threat who's more of a danger who's more of a flat rates those type of things and and but I don't think. That will be as is as as big a problem where to put it now where to put him eventually. You know if we get the sensors we hope to get on these people that may be be a problem at some point it will be a problem because. Legislature is made very all and it really public enemy number one I had a two day jury trial last week. And the jury gave for trafficking fit now and the jury gave the gas sixty years now the minimum the legislature said was twenty five. And they gave him sixty and that million dollar fine and i'm waiting for that to be paid by the way i'm sure your money by drugs right there so that is going to be a problem but I think the legislature's assessed the situation and said it's a problem that is worth having to try to get these ventile traffickers off the road and and out of society because they're killing people. Well and in the discussion somewhere down the road legislatedly whatever we need to do you know raising the balance so that you can't let him out or whatever I think you need to bring that to the table to as far as with the next general session coming up what you see that that can be done besides the money what can we do to to give you the greater tools in the toolbox thank you thanks center and represent a bentley recognized thank you chairman one quick question so careless since you're on the council have you seen some funding as a member of the council think we better spend long enforcement versus a treatment there's something that you've seen they were reading let me know offering him. Some things that we can look at their you think. Why i've been told they're different parts right so it's not easy to in all of its federal does to move it from one to another. Ah if that were not the case networks all coming and could be allocated to long horsemen than personally I would think th. Investing in your drug task force and paying your agents more in having more agents is going to. Take drugs off the streets more than billboards that try to convince people not to do drugs but I think that's an oversimplification because of the those parts of m. Ok seeing no further questions I appreciate all for your test money and appreciate all that you do you know to fight the war on crime you guys get it a tough program out there but thank you mister chairman committee thank you. Air would that being said that serve and we do have somebody here I believe from the administrative also office of the courts if you had anything to add I know marty couldn't be here today so. Uh. Yeah. Quickly are you gonna have to buy launch. Okay. I'm already sell over on the director of the administrative office of the courts general I appreciate you have this hearing as an eight generation our cans and whose raising two young daughters under seven I appreciate the committee's work on this issue wanted to point out two quick things representative bentley I appreciate the work that you did to raise the the fine from one twenty five to one fifty i'd like to point out that the administrative office of the courts has worked with a department of justice over the last few weeks and we secured uhm narcan opined rescue kits for every court room in the state of arkansas we've actually had individuals overdose on opioid opinions in the court room so I deliver those in the last two weeks to pairy plastic jefferson union white drew washington county is probably twenty county's total i'll be and franklin johnson and pope on wednesday delivering those and in arkansas county on friday. Um I think this is a a challenge that the drug crime special assessment fee I was curious because the administrative office of the courts we don't get that money we're part we're kind of like the BLR for the judicial branch so the senates in commission has the form the front the prosecutors fill out this form the judge is signed this forum and so just generally I was curious how much money we're talking about so I called over a dfna and it's roughly seventy five thousand dollars a month that this fee is that they're collecting. I was actually surprised it was that much honestly that's roughly five hundred and individuals are marked paying that. Um i'm assuming most of those are misdemeanor drug possessions uh because if they're conditional fell in either going to go to prison so there's no way they're paying in that fine so I just wanted to point the point those two things out and then finally senator hammering do we know how much out there is not collected the aoc does not each county has a designated collector so the core court appoints someone that's the designated collector for both circuit and district courts so the county level they have that money but that's not something that's available state level thank you marty i'm sorry I didn't recognize you here but if you would and failed to ask you to. Your name and he represent for the record i'm married silver the director of the administrative of office of the courts. And i'm christian clark i'm the director of the legal services division for the administrative office of the courts thank you very much thanks for being here marty breeze and with that being said to spring up our dt commanders mike evans and he has some detf commanders that he'll bring to the table. An agent evans were kind of running out of time II think we recovered a lot of the lot of the ground so. I would love to hear from you. Yeah. The. And if you would are each of you if you state your name in the agency that you're with please. My name's michael even some of the fifth you different district your cash worst commander that's a pope franklin in johnson counties. Heath jones i'm with the twentieth judicial district cover fault or baby and it search accounting i'm johnny sell i'm with the central arkansas group task force would cover white county per accounting and long it incorrect me if i'm wrong johnny but year a former dea agents that correct well i'm ADA task force okay past thirteen years thank you robert braden a commander for the fourteenth boom nooden marine and baxter county thank you mr evans. I appreciate each new money out being here this is a very important matter of course may be the commander for that way especially for my employees this this began meeting actually began because of my funding issues my total grants are a hundred and seventy eight thousand three hundred and sixty nine dollars that's what I get to myself. In two other agencies want biscuits and then I have three officers in two in three different counties so you travel mike that work so. I started by trying to find out how to get help through definitely in the drove gradual's office that's where I was told that uh I couldn't actually show my actual budget what it actually cost me to work to operate. So every year I have about a two hundred fifty thousand dollars deficit to keep my doors open and people employed my grants don't encourage salaries. I have to come up with that through answer for my prosecutor mister phillips helps do that every time so that just shows the need work we're twenty thousand dollars in the hole just to pay you pay salaries. That's not operation that's not fuel it's not right that's not light real stats that's nothing else it's four hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year the way we operate right now with myself and two other agencies are visible. And I have two people that signed me through poke county and russell as tfose they work for me part. That's how we got here. Mr sale I think he has some things he would like to say about what all we do so you'll understand what our job. Please must sell you recognize. Which a lot of would like to go back to an and say that over the years we relied on the drug director to try to get responding and in the one before tom that was in with their governor hutchison you know he had told us for several years he was working on a plan for us but then the last year he was there he pretty much told us we were on our own and so we we relied all those years we've been needing money for years and so this past this past year we decided to kind of get us and unofficial aboard board together they're seven of us on that board and then plus were in contact with the other commanders to meet with legislatures and try to do this on around and with the prosecutors we recently got with the prosecutors to get them on board and that's why over the years it's just been a problem that we thought we had a spokesman there for us you know we found out later that we didn't and they kind of conflict with what we have the one when they're working were on the rehab side then law enforcement so and plus you know we're not lobbyist your politicians we related to what to do in. You know we know that from meeting with you and representative bentley you guys have helped us a lot. To learn about what we need to do II know a lot of it singer davis cinna davis is here and it was a very informative meeting that we had with a number of you guys down and in russell bill in shedding some light on the issues that you have to deal with cause I tell her but there's a little you know there's just a little bit of meat on the bound in everybody's non on the same bumber we is legislators we don't know you know who needs to have access to that bone unless you tell us so we appreciate job bringing the problem to us so we can address it because it'll make our communities better it in this latter slot on time is drug record over the years that's just the way the direct directors have had been you know it's they've really had their own agenda more under the health department than law enforcement in and we talk about rehab and in the financing are the funding they get you know a lot of those people and we have if it wasn't for a dramatic avenue in their life which is most of the time getting arrested for drugs by us you know a lot of those people I think would tell you that that's what made them go to rehab so. The rehabs kinda go hand in him with what we do on the smaller level because a lot of our people that we arrest that are users or small time dealers end up getting probationary go through those rehab programs but without being arrested most of them probably would never go to rehab i'm sure there's a small number I don't know the percentage of it. But I think a lot of rehab people would tell you that that's a good point so it would we john mine tellness what the average salary is for a dtf agent that's been doing been in the job for a number of years. The. So the average arguments all direct pass force from her agent the starting out is anywhere from thirty eight to forty three thousand year. That's. The average. Okay thank you and he also has the list of the surrounding drug task forces and other states and yeah I mean the surrounding states tennessee is sixty thousand to seventy five thousand starting pay texas to sixty eight to eighty nine mississippi is fifty eight to seventy two thousand starting pay oklahoma's eighty four to hundred thousand starting pay for their knock out exceptions so we focused a lot on you know we did the law enforcement stipends and state please got a a nice pay raise and everything but this is a case where we have it there's a small segment of the law enforcement population that we really have a concentrated on and I think that's one of the things that we need to look at going forward is howard mitigate some of the challenges that are dtf agents have. And in that for an example you've got two to three state troopers per counting you've got two or three game and fish officers per counting you know we don't even in some cases have an officer for every counting in the state. To give an example of our. How we're funded in then how many people were okay represent bittly recognized. Thank you chairman thank you gentlemen are just one percent so how much I appreciate i'll be what you do and they continue to fight even though I know you love it as you wouldn't still be there so thank you very much more personally take thank you for your hard work do you think and I just learned today that we've moved under mr hager with a drug test which director think they will be helpful to have it under mr hagger and not under department field. I think that they could help is what we would like to eventually see is a dedicated person that that's all they have to do is work with us and then. In in the future and we needed funding they would be the one that would lobby for us and and and tell you guys what we need and have some money out there fighting for us and that has experience in the drug task force because it unless you've worked at a direct pass force and been through the last several years of our funding and it's kind of hard to understand just just how bad our funding is you know when you have to be told that hey we need you to hold your paycheck for a week or or like the prosperous said I believe there's the prosecutor some of the dts you know they have an ongoing loan at their bank just to be able to pay a payroll so to hire somebody and say hey you know this is a good career you know they're they hear about our funding issues and a lot of peop. But that's what we'd like to see is a dedicated person just just for to lobby your I guess lobby or are beyond our side and it may be direct training and and to look for future funding poorers and. Well I think you have about a hundred advocates on the house side of the work for thirty seven down on the senate so I don't think you have to worry about that but it's just letting us know what you're your specific needs are so cloud quick follow up chairman of yes please it's just one in just exactly about what you just said we need to know how much you need and you know we need to know it was specifically what we need race department was a good take to make things function he's so we've got together we we've been talking kind of what we want to look like per df you know everybody right now is anywhere from three two to three grant flooded spots across the state and it was looking to pay you know trying to retain some of the office we have try to get some good quality agents here whenever like safe we got guys retiring everything else and we've come up with a number to kind of mirror state police's pay and that would in some cases some etfs it would add an an agent some ds it might add two agents it still wouldn't quite get us to two per county across the state but that that number it's it's. It's tim yet right at ten point five ten point six million dollars a year to find all the nineteen dts across the state these have to be this can be wet behind the earth's officers has just come out of some basic trainers immunity you need season officers that have families at kids have the mortgage to pay and so forth a correct yes that's correctly try to get somebody with at least five years experience before you know if we can hire somebody and and investigate your experience if if possible in in that's a lot of things we do in our job we can't do by I mean most everything we have to have at least two or three people to go into it we can't just go on me an information somebody like that by ourself where there's always going to be two of those ok sender hammer just quick question do you in your in your budget proposal are in the numbers that you put together your plan do you have like a part of money that could be shared among everyone as far as the issue have enough money by drugs in a in a big drug buster are you going to try to do that by individual districts the way we come up with the figures is that would be equally district distributed between all nineteen dts because the way it is now some detfs like mine I get a hundred and seventy one thousand a year or hundred and seventy eight and then some might get two hundred thousand a year to twenty five so this would be equally funded all the dts some would be able to add an extra person maybe two dependent on their salary and then the rest is just basic. Survival you know what we need to survive fuel. You know vehicle lease that type just suggestion I put out their I mean based on the test my room you know I mean if you go do five hundred thousand dollars drug buyer whatever case may be I would just think maybe if you had one part that could be shared that if you had to make a big drug by you know in one particular that you could share that pot and I mean the money goes back here and after you make the bus right okay and that's something that might be we would like to try to get because. The hundred and twenty five or hundred and fifty assessment for you at the time that they was passed we thought that was going to fully fund us but you know it didn't but maybe some of that money could be used for like a part because I really think that's going to continually decrease because most of that fine comes from mister meter marijuana and you know with medical marijuana now that's a situation where it's not many people who are getting charged with that anymore being in in possession of marijuana so I think that it's gonna continually decrease probably furnishing and that's great to have the the extra sources of finding but we've got to come up with a revenue stream where you're not having at least no you get some money make salaries or payroll so representative of ray you're recognized mr chairman the. Statistics and the data on average salary for drop task force agents and that in the same information for the surrounding states could the members of the committee get that information emailed to us all. If you'd send that to the staff that be we appreciate it then you can see one of us after whatever route let you know how to make that happen thank you. And senator davis. Thank you mister chair this is more just a comment for the members I mean I know we met several months ago at the capital to discuss this this year and. And it's my understanding it's the first time that we've seen the dtfs the prosecutors the share of association association of counties really everybody on board and i'm dealing with this issue so we've releasing everybody come together and say this is something that we need across counties that are supporting our communities and everybody's on board with solving this problem and I think that was a really big deal to see everybody at the table together and I think several of us were probably in that meeting but since that time er myself and center gill more have an taken up this issue in and center gilmore is actually leading on it and have has had several medians with everyone involved to try to figure out the funding aspect because as we all know for schools upon us and this is something that honestly cannot wait until the general session and hopes that we can start funding our dtf's adequately july one of twenty twenty five so what we're looking at doing because we do know there is so much legislative support for this issue use it impacts our communities and and pretty big ways and so or are looking at trying to work with them on exactly what that what the numbers are which they said they've got a plan and a proposal in place but get that passed into this school so that starting july one of this year we can appropriately find our dts but then work on the structure that we're talking about you know have something more streamlined or whatever that ends up looking like and everyone with prosecutors detfs they're having those conversations so that everyone is on board and with a structure that looks right and works well um so I hopefully will have something to pass in that sense in the in the general session in twenty five i'm so we still have a few more months really iron at those details but really we all know that this I mean just hearing the testimony today but even if you were in some of the previous meetings you know what a big deal this is an how urgent it is that we fix it as soon as possible so. Uhm I just wanted it but that in there cause we've had a lot of conversations today around funding and what we're going to do and what they're asking and I just wanted to sort of let the members know that am a few of us have been working pretty intensely on this issue and and and planned to bring a funding structure forward in the fiscal session to address it thank you thank you senator daviso how many meetings have your head with the drug director. We've had one sir okay and went when was that meeting. I have to i'd have to go back and look at my counter and see when the the way I think believed january twenty ninth I think would have to look make sure this road so it was after weird are you planning to have this meeting to bring everybody before the legislative. And it was we've had meetings in the previous year. With the committee are with with with tom at state police and then we met our committee met with him on january twenty ninth. Seven others with that are coming thank you john in a center boy thank you and apologize if this has been brought up a bit in and out a little bit but obviously there's some kind of discussion about increasing funding hiring a new position one of the things i'm going to be interested in is we've had population growth in the state. So therefore maybe we need more resources to to dedicate for this some of it has been from other states some of it has been from other countries how has that dynamic change in affected the the work you do and supports the the need for this request I can give you an example in my area one we were tied on the border several years ago before it was opened up method in my area was eleven thousand dollars a pound now it's fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars a pound and we're seen you know people that had two or three grams you know several years ago might have a payout now you know it's it we've and then. The. In my area too I didn't think I would see this because we've had a bad but method method federing problem in our area plus we have a some cartel leadership that lives in our area family and. We're seen. More appeals you know finalize bills the press bills and it's almost overtaken our investigations because we've had a lot of deaths so that takes priority where used to waive a work long term investigations and trader follow the source back but when you have somebody selling you know a hundred venel pills at a time and people are done as soon as you. Identify that person and you can make undercover buyers from them we're arrest them and take them after the street because you know what you want to save somebody's life but it also hampers. You know you do in a long term investigation and get all the people involved even where it's coming from which most of the value of bars and my area come from arizona texas californ. Is the source states for specially that phenomenals right now in our area majority or common from the but yeah we've seen a big a big. Up to over the last year with appeals but and it's just before that we three year years ago minutes true that the border is the problem I union is a huge problem for us here in arkansas we see a lot more quantities larger quantities and we've ever seen before and the price is cheap. Okay center petty thank you mister chair two over here two uh questions kind of going back to the someone had asked a question about the five counties that did not have a dtf. And a one just out of curiosity is the pay contributing factor to the not having a drug task force there in those in those counties I know three of them at least our are larger population counties the other two I couldn't I couldn't piece together but uh that's the first one in the allergy entering then i'll have my follow up right the only one that I can remember having a was selling counting and that was years ago and they were some issues there and some people got a restaurant I think maybe even the prosecutor and the state police ran that counting out believe for a little while under the drug task force it was based out of state police orders maybe in there early two thousand or maybe like nineties and but palaski county as far as I know I don't think they've had a dtf once i've been working i've been more than several years per counties are rural county and they have a immo with the fifteenth of the fifteenth district takes them in and actually helps their colleagues that in that district as well so they do have some coverage with the dtf just is a rural part of the state I don't have anybody to have a big city probably the same thing for carroll county would you think I can't answer this. The the the follow up question though is just more general but i'm obviously you guys are the experts and so i'm curious with with bitten county and then plaskins link only being larger growth population growth areas of the state does that present as a problem at the state level not having a drug task force in those areas with the high growth population I know bitten county and in washington colleges booms but it would would you see that as a problem potentially well I could see that you know little rock has their own narcotics unit nor the rock has their narcotics unit and then you have the fear that has they focused alight their met rock task force on plasky counting so they have a lot of coverage for narcotics in glasky county but you know it's like everywhere else the more people you had I mean they could still use their extra mount power. But they they have a lot more coverage than your rural areas. Are because the rural areas like some of the places we work they don't have anyone working arcotics in their counting word the only ones that. Are cover in those areas and am we been so busy like one of my counties as per accounting in were so busy in the higher populated areas with overnoses right now we don't you know have the man power to cover all of those areas. Any more questions for the detailed commanders. Represent bentley you recognized I as well clarify some of the required for perry county period just judicial district with blast account and that's why they don't have detail but thank you the fifteenth has taken pretty counting it but that's why we haven't had a judicial district with plastic accounting. And we're where the stepchild gets left behind thank you represent between so gentleman thank you for being here appreciate the everything you've provided us today in your testimony and center hammered you have some okay. And we are listening and we've heard what you had to say in the something it's critically important I know i've talked to center gill more as well and we just got to come up with some structure to your organization and were on the right track by moving you over to DPS and I business was secretary hagger about a while back but we've got to get the funding peace worked out and I think we can do that so thank you again for being here. Thank you. Air scott bradley sheriff and chief sipes don't want to come to the table. So sheriff and cheap you know the draw so. Yes so thank you mister chairman and I once I thank you to everyone when it's here today to talk about this issue is being an issue for a long long time sheriff scott breadly and so scott breadline the sheer for the sheer for anymore i'm the director of the arkansas shares association. I was however the sheriff and band you're in county for about sixteen years and doing it time before that I work for the direct tax force at best as an agent when this has been an issue for a long time on which I mean is quick I know you guys are ready to go we're here in support of the s we want to see our drug task forces be better founded I do have shares that don't support some of the task forces and i'll tell you why they don't get anything. They don't get any here. But if the reason I don't get any help is you can only do so much with one two people covering three four counties so you go to the counties who supply you a deputy or achieve an officer. So that's what we do that the number was eighty four on there on the graph that you saying of in can. In canned money or that's that's probably one of the counties and going to be correct if i'm wrong a county supplying a debited or an officer for the task force to help. In other words the counties paying on but they get to work for the task force where counties are also supplied some banner when when they have it. I mean you guys know the situation in our counties with our deputies and our officers I will go through all that where all straggling were all struggling to find people to work oliver where all short personnel while short on money trying to make ins me I mean that's a given. But you talk about the drug task force I start getting appeared to say they're the chip of the sewer they need to be the tip of the sword it's one of the biggest issues that we face but they are our sword we're it you know and I have your in county when I was shared after working with the task force had a great relationship with them what we would do is if we stop a car they have a dope our first call you call are your door tests were saying you get him i'm going to start work in the case. If we have something stolen something big stolen in our county usually my first call was to my age and saying how we've had both those are still in for an example on sixty five. In the ideas can you put the word out. We're not low terms that's how we recover stolen property. Lego so research more I see in my cidega with them because there is no telling what you're going to find there people aren't stealing long lowers to move the yard. Are chinese hours to get trees they're still on them trade for no. It all goes together it all goes together and i'm glad that we have the number of troopers that we have in our counties i'm proud that we have a number of our game boards in our counties but not have drug tests were agents just as many or more it's kind of ridiculous when you think about it. With what they do. Borders wide open and i'm AJ bad either and discount going over some of the things been said here today the borders wide open it's a bigger problem now than it ever has been it's going to continue to grow until some things change. And this is what we can do in our counties in our state to make it better and so I really appreciate what you guys are doing and i'm available stopped anyway about the savings at any time i'll let gery safety words and more get out you also. I always like to follow in the shirt because he says there like I need to say but the only matter of earlier i'm very significant recipes with the cheaper police social and we do support the the brokers forces a whole heartedly a little bit of a personal experience I spent about twenty five of my thirty five years in narcatics undergovernment managing the the narcotics unit. Very dangerous job many times you go into a situation to buy a drove you don't you can't carry a gun because you can be searched and so forth but they they do it for ministrial in the late they they're brave young men and women that do the shopping with the ardom you know we're going to be heard early will retalk about the plasky county very county direct task force there was one back dear montana in also slain county I was the cheaper the place urban that time I was part of the door pass force there in something went when the story and and there were some that are corruption there burden plansky and barry county I don't know why they dispersed I know we talked about their two larger departments in some so forth but the department I came from which is jackson I retired there they are about half the force that they were when I retired in there there now i'm afraid that they're going to have to depend on these task forces and all reservation and they'll laid the pando on the task force as well because there are made science department. But all of these agents so he's not going to imagine a smaller bar of what would happen with them if the task forces went under they wouldn't have a drug enforcement. So that like scott sale are really appreciate you guys taken this in thinking about it and hopefully get something done to help them. We can't do without. Thanks john center hammer. Shut up thank you to miss chairman charter question probably start coming made while go there's five counties that do not have the dread the drug task forced represented in there and your comment was about some shares you know not willing to participate not only participate was that statement made toward the five counties that are not vold or is that made toward some of the seventy counties that have shares that are covered but they just optus paid or both then it that's both it includes some account is it or not represented but their account is to get frustrated smaller countries who have no bound money to get ever know deputy to give to the to the task force so unfortunately more limited numbers I don't get a lot of hail. I'm sure if they make that call about someone will come but it's you know what i'm saying. They'd like to have someone there working in their county there's enough work for him for everybody so is it that of cheers don't buy into the concept or that the shares don't because they're not giving the resources why invest the time I think there's a handful that may be don't buy any understood be quite honest with you but most of them most of need to help and want to help they just don't have it. Okay thank you thanks sure for and thank you chief brisha job being here and thank you sprew all that you do in is chuck ram here object come on up to the tip I didn't see earlier I didn't mean to skip over you I think you slipped in late so we'll give a chuck grammys the prosecutor for loan oak county just as a tremendous job over there thought I we could get him talked a little bit about what he's doing over there and how his detailing. And mr prosperity just state your name. I can chuck ram on the prosecutor twenty third judicial district which sounds pretty good it's county then where I am sometimes I say looks from plans twenty third i've been elected among my fourteenth year. We do not we're not the the dtf were under is white though the same one's white county and share staley provides a deputy to be a part of that and then we just provide any support we can. In the past interruption buried you know some first and experience were yeah it's our introduction team working with the dts that who they call me you want your troopers who were out on there doing their staff for me takes a lot of training to am amazed at what they do you know but it takes a long time to get an interdiction guy trained up and then once say once they make the stop in their lots of money and and or drugs in the dtf comes and and they were candid hand and has been a spent a great your relationship to be asked with you I don't manage the dts that falls under the white county our folks but I don't want to think about doing what we do without having them as part of our team to be honest with you now. We've had a lot of success in the past mean you'll know that state police didn't have enough man fire and still is trying to get to that point and a lot of the introduction guys have either retired or you know haven't really got promoted in which is great we want him to get promoted but when they do that mean sir generally they take that experience and I could do something you know else for the state which is also good but her with a we've seen young just not as many cases occurs to people aren't out there doing this like I said it takes a lot of experience and just ongoing experience to keep shore been doing what they do but with it has dropped off of the years and one of the things when I came in one of the prosecutions talking about one you asking about you know higher bunch and stuff we've seen line servant. They set his hard bins they macom in the defendants are going. They're never coming back we're not going to catch up a case is just could be out there now now you got a bunchman and dealing with that the stuff but one times. They may come and are gone so it's over as far as case wise we've also worked very closely with the federal side lifetime still had the initial information and will work with them we go ahead and file the case and then if if they are in fact federally indicated then we'll turn it over to them on the process or stop it at that time that we just I take team work is the one thing when you say all these folks are coming up here without having. The without it relationship and I think just probably what stop some of the share of some people from saying hey i'm i'm out is you know personalities occasionally young that mean everybody knows that it comes into everything we do every single day you know if you can work with people I don't know how we do what we all do but you know we have great people the the dts for example I don't know why they risked their lives and do what they do for the money we fail. I mean so I come from a police background that's been my all my experience until you know kind of lost my mind ran for office fundamentality but II get to work with these men and women and what they do every single day is just amazing and are paid. Honestly hardly above minimum wage. Now some of the some of the officers that ideal with they dave in some cases step they bother to get her on equipment i'm going out look we're gonna get your vast we're going to get you the weapons your knee we're going to get whatever you need that's what that money when we do interdiction and we have that money the question was asked about the smaller departments you know we have forty running through the center of our our district we also have sixty seven one sixty seven what we've seen is if you hit him hard on one of the major their affairs they just go to another area you know it used to be at one forty and then we started seeing more money sixty seven one sixty seven is there negative there they're smart. You're going to go where we're not in a foot now sort somebody said about numbers it's a numbers game. And there's a there's a lot of the stops that are made or not made just work just put in the day never get to actually put handcuffs on somebody but it pays off in other other ways and other situations but they they do one for job but I appreciate which all are doing because without a support from the men and women to certain over there we all can't do it we do amend the point my family i'm not kicking doors i'm not doing that kind of stuff we're supporting the men and women that are doing that and now the third means I don't care about our people are counting they don't care if somebody ods and dies from that nor. They care about the money that honestly announced they don't care about the drugs. To care about money and get the money flow and whatever that takes okay we're gonna keep doing that yeah I think sender hammer has a question. Yes sir yep and you may not be able to assist in scott in just nod your head is fine but you know there's ten million dollars that was set aside for the equipment for long forcement you know to be able to purchase equipment for them do the dtf agents and those working and field are they able to access those funds as long as they continue to be available I don't know. Can we get scott to the table at rocks your question or who you want to bring with you. Yeah. That's okay he's used to it and where that as that said on that committee and and I didn't remember the dtf being up they were added one of the commanders told me from behind me there they had been added on this round providing we get money this round so seems like a good opportunity that that's what I want to ask you about some based on your car member danger and I can only major what to be like for somebody have to go and buy drugs and the environment to go in a know some people who do it but they'd they do have access that money as long as that money is there and without that money being there then how do they get what they need in order to be able to protect their lives or be you know have had your built in to have their lives protected when they're going into those dangerous situations. What we have to rely on other people and it's not always there sometime we we do have their please and officers are no depthies for sure wearing outdated vessels you're versus outdated it's no longer safe. So. That does go on leave it and aspect of our communities then there's a lot about their equipment they really need they just simply don't have the funding for that that i'll decide this that equipment grant. Is the biggest sharp thing arm for long forcement that can be given in my opinion right now cause it if it affects our agencies I didn't relax dtf was included but they are you got state shares the cheese you got game and fash even the jails even even our prison system so everyone can come in and and put their name in the hat and and ask for some funding what they need I just want to make sure that they're able to access that you're funding if not we need to be able to get and I will check on to told if they do but I will double check on all right hopefully the funding will be there thanks thank you center hammer and this one the issues expired best the agencies are assuming some liability there because about agent I get shot he gets killed he's got to expire on then there's some liability to be assumed there by the the agency so again and prosecutor thanks great scene again chuck and I met the first time I rode the state police on a header ten million dollars load of meth in loan out counting in ad encourage my car leagues if you have the opportunity to get with sender are secretary hagger in ride with our interdiction guys in see exactly what these guys are doing out there I just this past week three thousand pounds of dope in crawford county in you know this allow that's not advertised but they're doing a tremendous job and everything that they do they give it to those the drug task force guys back there so that's why we need to support them so again share thanks for being here and chuck thank you very much for all the due do as well and at one I thought i'd give it secretary hagger mike if you want to come up just of board take a couple of questions just to explain to us about the introduction and. While he's coming to the table a lot of this I think we can attribute to long range strategic planning the reason that we are in the situation where you're in right now with our prisons with our crime lab and with the dtfs we have it looked at a long range plan to make sure that we're good twenty years out and that's why we're overcredit and her prisons the crime lab is outdated and we're working on all of that but this is another example because of the long range strategic planning I learned in state government is one legislative session to the next because you don't know if you're going to be here and you don't know what's going to be available so it's very difficult but it's something that we have to concentrate on so secretary here if you would state your name and who you're with a real quick good morning mister chair community members my name is my kagarian's secretary department of public safety and director of state police and secretary hagger can you speak briefly about your interaction with the your guys out on the interstates and everything in the their role with the DTF agents yes sir and thank you for the opportunity to do so because we could not do our job without our etf there is a boy left in the state of arkansas years ago when our man powered or finding started kind of wearing the. To where we used to have a full time or cottage unit and it's been years and years ago and when that went away and now the majority will all of our criminal investigators with the exception of four I believe in the state or dedicated strictly to major crimes which different involves robbery rape harm aside public corruption things like that so there's that board there now that has been picked up and field bob rdtf across the state. To the point that the way that we work or drive interdiction unit with the dtf it's exactly as you stated our guys go out there i'm proud of our unit we just added a little over a dozen. Effects of february eleventh and that's. Because of what this body is done in the gather's office is done in supporting us and trying to get her numbers back yet but that's the first time in years and years and years like I can't remember the last time we were able to dedicate a full time interstate criminal patrol team and so that group is you pointed out they're doing an outstanding job they've already taken since that's happened they've already taken will over a thousand pounds and our collects off the street tens of thousands of dollars and as soon as that staff is made in the arrest is made we can't take the tip so it's impassable for us to do our job without our partners at dtf. Okay any questions for secretary hagger. And a missed sector appreciate all that you do in your agency and in department of public safety and the last thing that i'm gonna show before we are journalists I keep this chart I got a small one in my bill for to keep one of my breath case but this chart right here it shows that the arkansas taxpayer dollar goes if you look way down here this little sliver. That's probably safety. Two cents out of every dollar that say it. Where we we need to fix that and part of it is fixing the problem that we have with our drug test forces so unless there is any other business to come before the committee this meeting is a job. The.