The Washington Monument Syndrome is the typical response when a bureaucracy is denied its funding – it ALWAYS goes after the most newest and brightest Shiny Object – and then either deny access to it by taxpayers (e.g., close the W.M. to tourists) or declare DISASTER if their funding is denied. And in this case, monies not under the control of anyone but by them. Only a part from the Nashua Telegraph (paywall), but enough:
Nashua, Manchester narcotic units threatened by cut in funds
Oh NO! Those dreaded city councilors / Mayors / Budget Committees – how DARE they not fund their departments to fit their needs to defend their citizens! Why those cheap…..oh wait:
NASHUA – The federal government’s decision to freeze payments to local and state law enforcement agencies from its Asset Forfeiture Program could cripple the Nashua and Manchester narcotics units and others statewide at a time when the heroin and opioid epidemic is rampant, their police chiefs said Wednesday.
“This is craziness,” Nashua Police Chief Andrew Lavoie said of the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to suspend further distributions following $1.2 billion in cuts made to the program to help balance the federal budget
It ISN’T the fault of local budgeteers – it’s taking “stuff” (money, property) from citizens. And given how the police nationally have turned a “good” (drug dealers losing their stuff) into a negative, well, the right decision was made by the US Dept of Justice. It became just an “outside the budget” boondoggle for the locals. Nationally, it became a slot machine for the House, where the House were the police – abuse was rampant to the point that some towns became known as “wallet lifters” – citizens who had done nothing wrong, not charged, and not convicted, lost what they had brought into town (even if they were only traveling through the town) simply because the police thought they were “suspicious”.
And the law let them do it with no repercussions.
Note to Chief Lavoie – get over losing your “mad money”. Go back to your boss(es) and tell them “oops!” – and let them fund you. In the mean time, stop using a tragedy to game getting back the ability to fleece perfectly legal citizens to add to the “bennies fund”. And yes, law enforcement entities all over the nation got so greedy and abused things so badly that you all have been indicted (even by proxy).
Again, enough of the shortcuts. Need the money? Go prove it during budget season. Don’t get it? Blame yourselves for not doing a good enough job – the Asset Forfeiture tree limbs have been trimmed because of bad (and sometimes illegal) behavior. Conflating this and the heroin/fentanyl problem here in NH (insinuating that the problem can ONLY be solved with Asset Forfeiture capability) is both disingenious and intellectually lazy..
