(Photo by Randy M. Cauthron) U.S. Rep. Steve King talks with Sheriff Randy Krukow about the merits of the Byrne-JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) program. The grant is an important funding stream for the Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force

"I appreciate and respect the work that's done here in this county. "It is one of the stellar counties in law enforcement of the counties I represent. I want to make sure I sit down with him and his deputies and the people on the front lines and get a feel for what goes on."

U.S. Rep.

Steve King

Funding for the Iowa Great Lakes Task Force was a central point of conversation Friday as U.S. Rep. Steve King met with Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow in Spencer.

Krukow is concerned about cuts to the Byrne-JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) program. The grants were established in 2005 to allow states and local governments to support improvements to the criminal justice system.

In past years, about $12,000 went to the local drug task force, which serves Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, O'Brien and Osceola counties. A local match brought the total to $16,000.

Potential cuts to the federal program have Krukow concerned.

"That's one thing I wanted to talk to you about, Congressman King," Krukow said. "We have an Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force that involves five counties in northwest Iowa. We have a chance of losing out on Byrne grant money, which, just about, funds our entire operation here. We get 75 percent reimbursement for all of our overtime (for the officers who serve on the task force)."

Krukow told King the potential cuts come at a time when the area has seen an increase in imported crystal methamphetamine. Clay County alone had 179 drug charges in 2006. It went up to 211 in 2007.

"Without this money, I don't know where the cities and counties in our area are going to come up with it," the sheriff said.

The grant, at previous levels, is typically gone the first six months of the year, according to Duane Bates. He is the Clay County Chief Deputy who serves as director of the Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force.

He thinks the task force will be down to $4,000 or $5,000 in the next funding cycle -- and the smaller amount will be exhausted within a couple of months.

"I appreciate and respect the work that's done here in this county," King said. "It is one of the stellar counties in law enforcement of the counties I represent. I want to make sure I sit down with him and his deputies and the people on the front lines and get a feel for what goes on."

The Clay County Sheriff's Office has made efforts to limit access to the ingredients needed in a methamphetamine cooking operation. Krukow has handed out free locking mechanisms to farmers with anhydrous ammonia tanks.

A state law has been enacted to make sure pharmacies and other retailers track the purchase of products containing pseudoephedrine through a log book. Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient found in some cold medicines. Those products are kept behind the counter and a photo ID is required for the purchase.

The efforts reduced the numbers of methamphetamine labs to seven in 2007, but the numbers are on the way back up in 2008.

"Where are they getting their pseudoephedrine?" King asked.

"They're smurfing it," Krukow said.

Deputy Casey Timmer told King "smurfing" is the practice of going from town to town, finding pharmacies and retailers, and purchasing the maximum amount allowed. Each store or pharmacy has its own log book but the businesses often have no way of tracking suspicious sales at other stores.

Task force officers are working on an automated system, which would allow investigators and retailers to track buying trends, limit sales to specific individuals or make arrests. The efforts become more difficult with cuts to the Byrne grant program.

"That is something I've supported aggressively in Congress and they're telling me directly how it affects their job," King said of the deputies' comments.

He said the accounts can have more impact than the typical briefing document when he returns to Washington, D.C.

"Having grown up in a law enforcement family, I've got a real appreciation for what happens if your 40-hour clock ticks down and you're in the middle of an investigation," King said. " It defies logic."

King said he would like to work with state legislators to get a pilot pseudoephedrine database program established.

"Iowa's law does not conform with the federal law -- I tried to get the federal law to conform with the Iowa law," he said. "I think our law is a lot better here in the state. I applaud the people who wrote it and passed it."

Local meth cookers also have some competitors. As meth ingredients are restricted in Iowa, more imported meth from Mexico is coming in. King said $65 billion in illegal drugs is coming across the southern border.

"That is a powerful price for our economy to pay and that's paid in human suffering and children who aren't being taken care of or those who are being abused -- families that aren't functioning as good as they can," he said. "Our entire civilization would be dramatically improved if we can have the resources to end this illegal drug abuse."