AUSTIN - Racial profiling and other misconduct by some law enforcement officers have prompted state lawmakers to recommend dismantling anti-drug task forces in Texas.

The recommendation is from the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.

State Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, the committee's chairman and a former Travis County sheriff, signed off on the report.

"Continuing to sanction task force operations as stand-alone law enforcement entities with widespread authority to operate at will across multiple jurisdictional lines should not continue," the report read. "The current approach violates practically every sound principle of police oversight and accountability applicable to narcotics interdiction."

In one high-profile case in Lubbock, former undercover task force agent Tom Coleman has been standing trial on two felony perjury counts related to arrests he made in Tulia as a member of the Panhandle Regional Narcotics Trafficking Task Force.

The House committee report specifically mentioned the incidents at Tulia, stating it was "by no means an isolated incident."

The report went on to read, "Debate on the effectiveness and the necessity of task forces has been steadily growing as a result of questionable methods being utilized ..."

While law enforcement agencies around Texas recognized some task forces' abuses, many officials touted them as successes in the drug war.

John Spragins, an investigator with the North Texas Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force, said battling drugs in and around Wichita Falls needs to be a coordinated effort by several agencies in the task forces' 12-county jurisdiction.

"One of the things about drugs is they don't stay within boundaries," Spragins said. "We can go across local counties and that helps us make cases."

He added that small police departments and sheriffs' departments depend on the task force to handle the growing methamphetamine problem.

"I think it would be really difficult because you have sheriffs' departments that rely on us to work their drug cases," Spragins said. "Most sheriffs' departments and small police departments are stretched pretty thin anyways."

Jack McGaughey, assistant district attorney for the 97th District, said the North Texas Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force is one of the biggest sources for the district's drug cases.

He said cases that require undercover work or that involve large dealers often need to be worked by someone who's not locally based.

"They can send someone in where local law enforcement would be known," he said.

He said the task force also has a lot of expertise.

Clay County Sheriff Tim King, who took over his duties the first of the year, said he's already met with members of the task force. He said its abilities to clean up meth labs without cost to the county are "invaluable."

"I don't know where we'd come up with the money to do what they say they'll do for us," he said. "I'd hate to see it done away with."

Previous legislative sessions have seen - but never passed - laws governing the task forces, which are largely funded by federal dollars, the committee report said.

But again this session, lawmakers may consider legislation that could affect the federal money. In fiscal year 2004, the state's multi-jurisdictional drug task forces received $25.8 million from the federal government, according to the House committee report.

State Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, said he had not seen the House report but he is a supporter of anti-drug measures. He has filed a series of bills that seek to curb the methamphetamine problem in the state.

"Task forces play an important role in our state," he said.

In the report, the committee recommended reeling in the federally funded task forces because of scandals, one of which involved the deaths of an officer and civilian.

Some officials say most task force operations have avoided major problems since the Texas Department of Public Safety took oversight responsibilities in 2002.

But the House committee said the problem of unsupervised task force officers still exists, and DPS lacks the authority to discipline task force officers who fail to comply with the policies.

The committee report also discussed racial profiling as a potential problem. It said that minorities may be in more likely to be targeted because of profiling and "consent searches."

Times Record News reporter Jessica Langdon contributed to this article.

Contact Tim Eaton at 512-334-6642 or at eatont@scripps.com.