Dallas County is facing a similar dilemma over grants used to fund extra family violence prosecutors, which run out this budget cycle. Reports KERA-TV:
The Family Violence Unit in the Dallas County District Attorney's office could take a hit when County Commissioners approve a new budget tomorrow. KERA's BJ Austin says state grant money is running out, and the county can't pick up the cost.
In the Family Violence Intake Unit of the D-A's office an assistant district attorney works with police, files felony domestic violence cases, and presents them to the grand jury. An investigator does that in misdemeanor family violence courts, and a legal secretary helps family violence victims get protective orders and otherwise navigate the legal system.
Officials with the District Attorney say the loss of these three jobs will make prosecution of domestic violence cases much slower. Brandy Smith, with the Brighter Tomorrow's shelter in Grand Prairie says that would not be good for victims.
Smith: When things take too long, they lose their nerve. They sometimes might not follow through. ...
County Commissioner Mike Cantrell says 100 million dollars in state and federal grant money for many county jobs is running out. And there's no way the county can afford to keep those positions. ...
Cantrell suggests the District Attorney look at his Hot Check Fund or Forfeiture Fund to see if he can find money to save the Family Violence jobs.Such grants skew local budgeting decisions while discouraging using discretionary money - like the hot check and forfeiture funds - to fulfill local needs. Budget crises have a way of clarifying priorities: If Dallas County wants more prosecutors than it's budgeted, commissioners must pay for them. If they choose to prioritize spending in other areas, like fixing problems at the jail, repairing roads, public health, etc., such decisions are the essence of what budgetmaking is all about. Naturally every politician would like to be all things to all people, but taxation is the main, limiting factor. These grants allowed politicians to avoid those limits, temporarily, but eventually local taxpayers must pony up, or else hard decisions must be made.
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7 comments:
Smith: When things take too long, they lose their nerve. They sometimes might not follow through. ...
Maybe they looked around their situation and decide the State's and Victim "professional" ideas are not right for their family. The people in that industry really like to stereotype people. And they also feel that they know more about living because they studied it in school.
Maybe a person who could get a protective order looked around their situation and realized that if the primary wage earner is gone -- so may the big house, good school system, food,clothing , and just 95% of what their life is.
Also, protective orders are not always voluntary. So the victim assistant quote that says the department "helps" get it them is misleading.
It is good that our society is trying to help people. But they have gone way over board and are intrusive. I, for one, am glad to hear funding is going to disappear. Sorry for the professional victims advocates though their customers --err 'the victims'-- will have to come up with their own money to pay for services
So when is money available from the state crime victim fund for these types of services? Does there have to be a conviction before they can apply? Maybe the fund is another "paper" fund that only goes to balance the budge but doesn't really exist.
I agree grants should go away. If the fed laws authorizing the grants to implement the laws congress passes weren't there then the enhancements might not ever take place and probably weren't needed in the first place.
Grant Money: Federal influence through funding. Don't think we'll see the FBI responding to FV calls anytime soon. But it's still against federal law. Hence, the funding. Now if we could figure out this unlawful entry thing we'll be set. For a few years anyway.
These grants came about from the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Expecting a major increase in crime after the republican congress forced Bill Clinton to sign welfare reforms, the idea was to overwhelm any discontent with brute force. Since 1994 the number of law enforcement officers have increased two-fold, currently totaling well over 1000,000.
Last month the Montgomery County Sheriff's office in Montgomery county, Texas The Sheriff’s Office of Montgomery County, Texas was awarded a grant by the Department of Homeland Security for a squadron of ShadowHawks. With a population of less than 400,000, the sheriff was ecstatic about the funding and looking forward to placing the equipment into the field. http://best-of-texas-blogs-eastmontgomery.blogspot.com/2011/08/montgomery-county-texas-gets-grant-foe.html
Regardless of whether these grants are necessary, any agency that can will apply for them and use the funding for new toys while devising ways to attack our freedoms.
With Washington in the financial trouble it has been in for a long time, we should ask ourselves why they keep sending grant money to the states to do things the states should be doing for themselves. Doesn't "grant money" imply that the the states don't have to pay it back?
It seems that the states want Washington to stay out of their affairs except when it comes to putting money in the state's pocket.
That's my money they keep throwing at the states and I don't like it. If everybody that says they want to balance the budget, really meant it, they would put in office a single mom with 4 kids and a full time job and is still able to pay her own way. That's what balancing the budget really means.
You should ask yourself why the federal government sends the majority of our money to foreign countries that will eventually hate and attack us. The states get peanuts compared to "foreign aid".
@ 77:59am...
Big + 1 there.
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