Renewing the Fight on Drugs and Crime

By Criss Candelaria, Apache County Attorney

To better protect our communities we need active support for ACCENT (Apache County's Narcotics and Major Crime Enforcement Team) from police agencies, including Navajo Nation Police, Sanders Port of Entry, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Police Departments in Eagar, Springerville, and St. Johns. In particular, Navajo Nation, Port of Entry and DPS participation will benefit law enforcement throughout the County.

Currently ACCENT only has two Sheriff's deputies recently partnered with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and one St. Johns officer on temporary reassignment. Both State & Federal grants fund ACCENT, and without multi-agency participation, the funding may be reduced or withheld. A majority of the $320,000 ordered forfeited by criminals to law enforcement goes to ACCENT (as discussed in another item).

ACCENT operations are administered by a Board of Directors: the police chiefs from Springerville, Eagar and St. Johns, the Apache County Sheriff and the County Attorney's Office. Funding and manpower limitations in the participating agencies have caused ACCENT to function at less than its potential and have kept it in a state of uncertainty. We have kept ACCENT alive despite the limitations and efforts to eliminate it. However, we need to make changes.

My office proposed changes to renew and enhance ACCENT operations, and pushes to adopt and implement them. These include:

Expertise:

• Training primary and alternate experts in complex cases like homicides, sex offenses, and arson;
• At ACCENT expense;
• Experts available throughout the County to any law enforcement agency when needed; and
• The first attended a $2,252 child abuse training program in June

Manpower:

• Each agency to provide a full time officer;
• Proportionate time operating within the jurisdiction, i.e., if four agencies participate, then about one week a month will be spent by the team in each jurisdiction.
• Eagar P.D. is seeking an additional officer to work with ACCENT paid for entirely with funds our office forfeited from criminals

Money:

• More participation means more secure state and federal grants;
• More operations resulting in more assets ordered forfeited for law enforcement; and
• Safer communities and less criminal activity.

© 2008 Criss Candelaria