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October 23, 2005
Boston: Addicted to Drug Money---DA & The Police Hoard Money for Salaires and Consutlants
By Michele McPhee/ Special Report
Sunday, October 23, 2005 - Updated: 08:58 AM EST
Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley is using monies seized in criminal investigations to pay the salaries, pensions and benefits of 10 prosecutors - funds that are earmarked to fight the war on drugs, the Herald has learned.
Conley's chief of staff John Towle defended the salaries as a legitimate use of drug forfeiture funds, saying: ``Under the law it's allowable.''
The BPD and the DA's office receive hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in revenues from the confiscated assets of drug dealers, money that is spent with no public scrutiny or budgetary constraints.
Now several city councilors are sponsoring a bill that would earmark one-third of those monies specifically for drug treatment.
``Treatment and recovery is an equal partner on the the war on drugs,'' City Council President Michael Flaherty said. ``Unless we bring treatments and recovery to the table, we are never going to get to the point of being able to curb substance abuse and drug activities in our neighborhood.''
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he supports the bill that will earmark drug monies to treatment beds. But Towle said his office will fight to keep the money, which is currently split between the DA`s office and the BPD.
Under Massachusetts law, drug forfeiture money can be used for ``any law enforcement purpose'' deemed appropriate.
``We are putting prosecutors in the courtroom,'' Towle said.
The DA's office also used the money for office space, equipment and drug purchases for undercover detectives, according to an accounting of the fund received by the Herald.
The BPD spent the bulk of its drug forfeiture money on a contract with Ron Smith & Associates, which has been paid more than $250,000 to clear a backlog of unprocessed fingerprint evidence. The cost includes hotels, airfare and food for experts who have flown in from Mississippi. Other expenditures included nearly $10,000 on crime scene cones and $34,000 on 33 digital cameras.
The DA's office did give a $7,000 grant this year to the Gavin Foundation's Cushing House, which is a residential treatment center for teenaged boys. A similar house for adolescent girls is opening this month at in at the Cushing House.
The City Council said that's not enough and several councilors signed a petition to create a special law to decide who should get funds from city forfeitures.
The bill includes startling information from the city's public health department, such as: ``Boston had the highest rates of reported illegal substance use among major metropolitan areas in the nation.''
BostonHerald.com - Local / Regional News: Addicted to drug money: DA, cops hoard dealer dough for salaries and consultants
Posted by lois at October 23, 2005 11:02 AM