| Grants Help SLED Guard Against Terrorism |
| The State Law Enforcement Division is
relying more heavily on federal money for its mission to protect the state against terrorism. The South Carolina House approved a spending plan that includes $27.4 million for SLED. But, SLED Chief Robert Stewart says the agency is using about $24 million in federal grants for equipment and training to prevent terrorism. Stewart says the federal money has kept the agency running at a time when cuts are trimming state agency budgets. Much of the federal money includes one-time grants that allow SLED to purchase laboratory, computer and counterterrorism equipment. Stewart says South Carolina will also get about $2 billion for its state homeland defense program from a $75 billion emergency spending plan proposed by President Bush this week. |