U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick introduced two bills this month that aim to help law enforcement officials control drug trafficking and border violence.
They are likely to be a topic of discussion when Kirkpatrick travels to Prescott April 17 to meet with police and Chamber of Commerce officials.
The Border Violence Protection Act would enact most of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's plan to add new resources to border security efforts.
Kirkpatrick is Arizona's only U.S. House member on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. Napolitano, Arizona's former governor, made a presentation to the committee about her plan, Kirkpatrick told The Daily Courier.
"We are going to put our resources where they can do the most good, taking advantage of 21st Century technology and building up programs that have proven effective in making our borders safer," Kirkpatrick said in a press release.
The legislation authorizes the administration to spend $70 million to increase infrastructure and inspection capabilities at ports of entry, buy two X-ray mobile inspection units, set up 10 canine teams, acquire license plate readers and get more body armor.
It also authorizes an appropriation of $30 million to hire 100 Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) personnel, improve and expand BEST facilities, and increase resources and personnel for Operation Armas Cruzadas, which seeks to reduce the amount of arms flowing into Mexico from the U.S.
The actual appropriation of money would be a separate action.
"The escalating violence in the U.S.-Mexico border region is a serious security threat," said Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. "This legislation takes aim at that threat by strengthening DHS' capacity through the increase of technology and personnel to combat the violence and smuggling occurring on our borders."
The other Kirkpatrick bill, the Southwest Border Narcotics Reduction Act, would expand the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program to all of Arizona, including Yavapai County. Right now, the Southwest Border HIDTA includes only eight of the state's 15 counties.
Yavapai and the other six new counties would get new access to resources and information to help them shut down drug trafficking routes, a press release from Kirkpatrick stated.
"Our sheriff's departments and local police are doing the best they possibly can to shut down the drug trade, but they could do more with additional resources," Kirkpatrick said. "The drug cartels are taking advantage of the gap in our law enforcement's plan of attack."
Under Kirkpatrick's bill, law enforcement agencies in the remaining Arizona counties would gain a voice on the HIDTA regional councils, more federal money, and the chance to share data.
With major trafficking routes moving along Interstate 40 and Interstate 17, the 1st Congressional District is a crucial front in the War on Drugs, Kirkpatrick said.
As an example, she cited how the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office confiscated 117 pounds of pot last week from a vehicle traveling on I-17.
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Article comment by:
LCP
There goes another Obamabot complaining that the last eight years were so horrible, and somehow it's all going to get better now. It is as if there were NO Democrats at all in Washington causing the problems that we have now. The fact is most of the political hacks that contributed to our situation are still there, maybe some in just in different jobs, including Obama. Maybe Ann Kirkpatrick is new, but so far she has proven to be no different....Tax and spend, and spend, and spend. More laws, when we don't enforce the existing ones. Where is the Change Ann? How about some fiscal responsibility and stop throwing money we don't have at projects we can do without. Democrat or Republican, they all are only looking out for themselves at the expense of the rest of us...That's how we got in the mess we are in now.
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009
Article comment by:
lol
We are still reeling from eight years of total stupidity. You are just going to have to eat crow and watch this country slowly grow back to it's former greatness in the world.It has already started.In the interim why don't you people try to be supportive and say something positive? How do you sleep at night? You should be ashamed of yourselves.I have never in my life seen such a bunch of negative, resentful blow hards than on these posts. lol
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
LCP
The party of "No"? It's all one big party in Washington. The Obamabots rail about the growth of government, wasteful spending, unending wars, and the trampling of the Constitution of the "past eight years." So what do we have now? It's more of the same. Here are two articles in the Courier on the same day about how Ann Kirkpatrick tries to justify her government paycheck by attempting to steer as much tax money--and borrowed money that we don't have--as she can to her pet projects so that next year she can point to them as reasons that she should be re-elected! She is no different from others in both parties, most of them do it and this is why we have the problems we have. Government IS the problem, and more is not the solution. When are the Obama worshipers going to wake up and realize they have been duped? There is NO Change.
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
Thanks, LCP
As usual, you point out better than anyone the irrelevance of the party of "NO." Meanwhile, it appears that in the coming weeks, Washington is actually going to have a dialog on border issues -- something that was completely ignored for the past 8 years. The Obama administration will propose a variety of ideas, then Bohner and Cantor will reply, "NO."
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
LCP
Are we supposed to be impressed? Ann Kirkpatrick, and the others in the District of Corruption, use their power to extract money from those of us with real jobs, and then, like a bunch of pigs at a trough, grab what they can to fund their pet projects so they can grow the bloated government and its police powers even more. How difficult is that? Gee, Thanks Ann, How about reducing the size of government and taxation and spending? Then I'd be impressed.
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
Christopher J. Kraft
That's a good start but no mention of the plan to stop the free flow of Human Trafficking at the border?? If you want my vote again Ann you need to step up and introduce legislation to stop that.
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
A breath of fresh air in a state that needs it!
Isn't it refreshing to have an Arizona representative who is proposing bills that do not financially benefit relatives and old business partners? Hooray!
Posted: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Article comment by:
J. Adams
This woman is going to add more laws to an area of concern already equipped with the only law it needs. She is proposing all of this high tech equipment at established border entry points, but not for the areas where the bad guys actually come across, i.e., between the established border entry points. How about deploying technology that would use heat signatures underground to detect tunnels? The legislation being offered is an exercise in narcissism, i.e., this will be heralded by Kirkpatrick during her re-election campaign as the legislation that saved us from the border violence. We must do something to get the feds back within the Constitutional limitations that were breeched long ago.
