Speaker Perkins questions cuts in state drug investigations budget

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins said Friday he has problems with the decision to cut the Nevada Division of Investigations staff nearly in half.

Investigations division chief Philip Brown told a subcommittee of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees that the reductions will save about $1.6 million a year.

"Overall, 39 positions were cut," he said. The division had 79 staff positions.

"In this environment, we find ourselves in post 9/11, I have some significant concerns this is the wrong area to cut," said Perkins. "The first fundamental responsibility of government is to provide for public safety."

A number of small communities and rural counties have complained about the cuts, saying they hit hard at their ability to seek out and stop drugmakers and traffickers in particular. The cutbacks included in Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed Public Safety budgets would eliminate state participation in multi-county drug task forces, among other things.

Perkins said the state's two largest counties have more ability to cover those losses.

"I'm worried more about our rural brothers and sisters in law enforcement," he said asking Brown to reconsider the cuts and try to help the state's small sheriff's departments and police agencies.