Federal Recovery Act funding for southern border narcotics enforcement

Combating Criminal Narcotics Activity Along Southern Border

The initiatives the 2009 Recovery Act funds must accomplish program-specific goals, and must be developed for furthering at least one of its general purposes, which are creation and preservation of jobs, promotion of economic recovery; assisting individuals most adversely affected by recession; providing investments required for increasing economic efficiency, through spurring technological advancements in health and science; investing in environmental protection, transportation, and other infrastructure which will offer economic gains in the long-term and stabilization of local and federal government budgets, for minimizing and preventing increases in counter-productive local and State tax, and reductions in vital services (FDA, n.d.).

Identify two or three goals of your program

Goal #1: Recovery Act: Job Preservation

A significant decline has been seen in manpower at the Drug Enforcement Bureau in the last eight months, with a loss of four squads. These posts were transferred, because of budgetary issues, to patrol tasks. Funding under Recovery Act will ensure complete future functioning of, and activity in, the Technical Surveillance Division of the Department for aiding external and internal partners with probes (Wals, 2012).

Goal # 2: Recovery Act: Job Creation

Funding through Recovery Act will lead to creation of a full-time position of criminal intelligence analyst. The analyst will directly work with data-driven support strategies, and with detectives, for battling narcotics-related criminal activities. During the first 6 months after receiving the grant, the program will hire a full-time analyst, with information regarding him/her being presented with the three-monthly report, as appropriate (Wals, 2012).

Resources needed to implement the program

State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program: Countering Illegal Narcotics Activity arising from the south demands improvement in local law enforcers' capacity to tackle the growing problem of illegal narcotics activity springing from the nation's southern border areas. Competitively chosen projects will use this grant to concentrate on initiatives for: 1) Battling unlawful narcotics activities along USA's southern border; 2) Improving jails in the Southern Border region, as well as detention operations and community corrections; 3) Assisting with justice-linked collaboration, knowledge sharing, and solving of problems; and 4) technical assistance and training (FDA, n.d.).

Furthermore, a share of this grant may be directed to funding projects which carry out research or evaluation relating to the program's overall objectives. To the extent to which the program allows recipients to utilize funds for the purpose of construction, renovation, etc., the recipient must know that certain sections under the Recovery Act stipulate special restrictions. For instance, Buy American Act under section 1605, wage rate specifications under section 1606, quick-start activity preference under section 1602, and special contracting regulations under section 1554. Recipients must also be familiar with the National Environmental Policy Act's requirements (FDA, n.d.).

Recovery Act stipulates that funds can't be utilized by local or State government, or private organization, for establishing any casino/gambling outfit, swimming pool, zoo, aquarium, or golf course. Further government-wide support applicable to Recovery Act initiatives can become available, which could impact proposal narratives, certifications, budget requests, timelines, and other issues, including appropriate fund use and fund-use restrictions. Those who are interested to apply should regularly visit the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) website to obtain updates and additional information. All fund recipients under Recovery Act have to follow every applicable, government-wide guidance provision which may be declared in accordance with the Recovery Act, whether or not reflected in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) listing (FDA, n.d.).

Eliciting stakeholder participation

The Maritime Intelligence Fusion Centers (or MIFCs) of America's Coast Guard (USCG) combine Pacific-region maritime information, including Southwestern areas, with other Coast Guard intelligence assets like the Coast Guard Cryptologic Group, Intelligence Coordination Center, IC DHS (Intelligence community- Department of Homeland Security), and other partners. The initiative aims at involving customers by holding regular meetings, wherein stakeholders will be routinely updated (NSBCS, 2013).

The Intelligence Coordination Center (ICC) is the USCG Commandant's national intelligence operations center. ICC offers the Commandant, Assistant Commandant for Intelligence and Criminal Investigations, Deputy Commandants for Operations and Mission Support, as well as other leaders in headquarters with intelligence information. Active partnership with IC members helps ICC to offer DHS with all-source analyses for the latter's maritime intelligence needs. Intelligence watches are maintained by ICC at USCG Headquarters (Intel Plot of the Commandant) EPIC (El Paso Intelligence Center) Maritime Intelligence Unit, and National Targeting Center (Coastwatch) (NSBCS, 2013).

The Coast Guard's Maritime Intelligence Unit at EPIC conducts screening of individuals and vessels encountered by tribal, local, state and Federal law enforcers. The screening efforts offer important criminal intelligence, in addition to relevant data assessments for identifying whether any passenger or crewmember has prior criminal activity record (NSBCS, 2013).

USCG intelligence has 2 regional MIFCs, at Virginia's Dam Neck (MIFCLANT) and California's Alameda (MIFCPAC), acting as centers for fusion, analysis, and dissemination of maritime information and intelligence to USCG units, sectors, districts, and partner intelligence and law enforcement agencies, as applicable, at strategic and operational levels. These MIFCs focus specifically on intelligence assistance to targeting, investigative reach back and technical intelligence abilities (NSBCS, 2013).