Attorney General Tom Corbett's Budget Remarks
PA House of Representatives
Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Introduction

Thank you for the opportunity to present our budget for the Office of Attorney General.  As you know, the Attorney General's Office is responsible for the prosecution of organized crime and public corruption, including criminal investigations and drug law enforcement.  Additionally, we are also responsible for consumer protection and civil actions for the Commonwealth. 

The budget I am requesting is a maintenance budget with a request for a small increase for the Child Predator Unit, Drug Law, Drug Task Forces, Drug Strike Force and our General Operating Budget.

Child Predator Unit

As a prosecutor and a parent, there is nothing more troubling and heart wrenching than violence against children. As Attorney General, I'm using the power of my office to stop the violence from happening by capturing predators before they strike. 

Thanks to funding last year by the General Assembly, we were able to expand the Child Predator Unit. The unit went from primarily two agents to six agents with a full-time prosecutor assigned to these cases.  The agents have been assigned and trained and are now all working in the field capturing child predators.

As I told you last year in the Budget Hearing, with a larger Child Predator Unit, we would be able to increase the pursuit of those in our state who seek to sexually exploit or otherwise prey upon and steal the innocence of our children.

Within the past 12 months the Child Predator Unit has arrested 40 predators in undercover Internet operations.  Among those whom we have arrested was an assistant Boy Scout Leader, a PIAA referee, a newspaper sports editor, and a Harrisburg area religious leader.

This year, with a full complement of agents for an entire year, it is expected that the unit will arrest a significantly higher number of predators.

In addition to continuing to conduct investigations, this year the unit will also be unveiling an educational program for students and parents.  Agents will be in classrooms teaching students about the dangers of sexual predators on the Internet and warning parents in PTO and PTA meetings, and in other forums, on ways to help keep their children safe from online predators.

Last year, we were able to fund three of the Child Predator Unit positions through federal restricted revenue funds that allow for first year support.  Those funds are no longer available.  Therefore, we have asked for an increase of $221,000 to replace these restricted revenue funds, as well as $21,000 to maintain the nine positions at the increased contractual rates.  This program is critical to the protection of our children as they increase their use of the Internet. 

Drug Law Enforcement

As Attorney General, and a former drug prosecutor myself, I understand the importance that taking down large-scale drug organizations can have on a community and what it means to the economic vitality of a city.  If drug dealers are running rampant in an area of a city or community, you can't get businesses to open or people to shop, let alone live there.

Within the past year the Attorney General's Office has been very successful in targeting large-scale drug dealers.  Our success is directly related to making greater use of court authorized wiretaps and the statewide investigating grand jury. 

 Let me briefly give you a sampling of some of the progress we have made:   

In northeast Pennsylvania, we took down two major cocaine rings, in two separate investigations known as "Operation Bad Rap" and "Operation Main Street."   In both cases, major drug dealers came in from outside the area, one from New York, the other from Philadelphia.  They both set up major cocaine distribution networks. Through the use of good investigative work and court authorized wiretaps we were able to, not only take down the ring leaders, but also most of their associates. 

In Centre County, we arrested Taji Lee, the largest heroin dealer in the history of that area.
In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we recently arrested members of a cocaine ring that were bringing in multi-kilos of cocaine into the McKeesport area.  In that case, known as "Operation Byrd Cage," using wiretaps we were able to seize 10 kilos of cocaine before it ever made its way onto the street.

Just last Friday, we obtained arrest warrants for 28 drug dealers in the New Castle area in an investigation known as "Operation Detroit," a multi -million dollar cocaine ring.  The ring leaders were from Detroit and literally invaded the New Castle area.  One of the Detroit drug dealers said that it was his goal to make $20,000 per day selling cocaine in New Castle.

In Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania we have investigated and prosecuted a multi-million dollar meth ring being run by the Warlocks, an outlaw motorcycle gang.  During the investigation, we seized more than 50 pounds of meth.  This was one of the largest meth rings to ever operate in Pennsylvania. 

Additionally, on the meth front, in Northwest Pennsylvania, where meth use and meth labs are prevalent, we created the Northwestern Pennsylvania Meth Task Force, working with the local Drug Task Force, as well as local and state police and the District Attorneys in the seven county region.  Within the past year, the Meth Task Force has raided and cleaned up 22 meth labs.
 
Because of our increase in investigative efforts focusing on drug dealers, many of the Attorney General operated Drug Task Force programs have used a significant portion of their budget this year.  As legislators, you understand the importance of this Drug Task Force program in your communities.  However, what you may not realize is that our narcotics agents use the intelligence derived from the Drug Task Forces to build cases against mid-to upper-level drug dealers.  The street-level dealers that the Task Forces concentrate on are the first rung in the ladder of sophisticated drug organizations.

With respect to drug enforcement, the Office of Attorney General has requested an additional $1,641,000 to ensure that we can continue our enforcement efforts.  Without this additional funding we will be forced to furlough employees and reduce the efforts of the drug task forces.

Drug trafficking continues throughout Pennsylvania. The demand for drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and meth continues to grow. Consequently, illegal drugs organizations seeking to fill that demand continue in this illegal business. Organizations outside of Pennsylvania, for instance from Detroit, Chicago and New York City seek to expand their influence into Pennsylvania.  The Office of Attorney General cannot maintain the fight against drug dealers if we are not adequately funded.

Witness Relocation Program

Often one aspect of the drug problem in Pennsylvania is its common association with violence. Violence directed by one gang against another or against the public at large. In fighting violence and drugs, one useful tool for law enforcement has been the witness relocation program.

The Witness Relocation Program and the Gun Violence Reduction Witness Relocation Program both allow the Attorney General's Office to assist law enforcement agencies, including district attorneys and municipal police, by providing financial resources to quickly hide or relocate witnesses and their families from areas where their witness status has made them potential victims. 

A witness' removal from harm's way ensures that they can then testify in felony cases, the majority of which are homicides.

The Governor's Budget totally eliminated funding for these important programs.

The Witness Relocation Program was initiated in 2002 through the receipt of federal funds.  Since 2002, the Attorney General's Office has assisted with 313 criminal prosecutions many of which would not have been prosecuted without this program.  In Philadelphia alone, the cases requiring the use of these funds has increased by 69 percent in the last year.

The federal funding for the Witness Relocation Program has concluded. Our budget request does not include any increase to replace the loss of federal funding.  If state funding is eliminated, these programs will be eliminated and effective prosecution of violence in Pennsylvania will be severely reduced and consequently so will the public safety of the citizens of Pennsylvania.

General Government Operations

Our General Government Operations appropriation is asking for a maintenance budget only.  The increase is solely to cover our contractual increases in personnel costs. 

From 2001 to 2006, our contractual salary increases amount to 24.75 percent and benefit increases amount to 9.88 percent.   During the same time period, our General Government Operation's budget has only increased 7.93 percent.

The only way we have been able to provide an equivalent level of law enforcement and public protection over the same time period has been by finding cost savings, deferring fixed asset costs and eliminating positions through attrition. 

Although we constantly strive to make our operation more efficient, we cannot continue to cut our complement and provide the same level of service that your constituents deserve.  If we do not get the additional funding, we will have no alternative but to furlough personnel. 

The increase requested in General Government Operations will be used to maintain the remaining personnel who support the operations of the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Public Protection Divisions.

As you can see, I believe in the work of the men and women of the Office of Attorney General and could spend hours talking to you about what we need and what could be. But as our time is critical, I want to thank you for your consideration of our budget.  I will take any questions you may have at this time.

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