by Mike Nixon
St. Louis Daily Record & St. Louis Countian

Questions regarding the proper use of national defense funds have come home to Missouri. State officials offered homeland security money to small communities last week through a project called the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program and sparked concern about how that money might be used.

"This is the first case of homeland security spending through state agencies that we've heard," said David Williams, vice president of policy for Citizens Against Government Waste.

CEDAP, according to Missouri Homeland Security Coordinator Paul Fennewald, is intended to help first-responder agencies such as local fire and police departments with the purchase of equipment needed in case of "major critical incidents."

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