Twelve dollars can buy lunch or a compact disc. For Wisconsin residents, it can buy protection from terror, too.

Wisconsin ranked lowest in the per capita spending of the Department of Homeland Security during the first nine months of 2003, according to a report released by the Census Bureau last week. Wisconsin received $12 per person, with $65.7 million given to the state.

The money is used for physical objects such as emergency equipment, critical infrastructure protection, personal protection and communications equipment, according to Paul Guequierre, spokesman for Wisconsin's Office of Justice Assistance.

"We would like more money," Guequierre said. "There's a lot more that could be done."

The Office of Justice Assistance received $37 million from homeland security in 2003, which is in the middle compared to other states, Guequierre said. They have received $51 million for 2004.

"We're certainly not getting our share," said Eric Reinelt, the acting port director of the Port of Milwaukee. The port uses the money for items such as fences, cameras and lights, he said.

Reinelt said there is little threat to the port, but since the Department of Homeland Security looks at the weakest links as the next targets, Milwaukee would rank at the top with larger ports such as New York.

Sgt. Ken Henning, public information officer of the Milwaukee Police Department, said the amount of money coming from the Department of Homeland Security has not impacted the department.

Richard Friman, professor of political science, said there are two ways of looking at the numbers.

"You can interpret it that there's less of a threat of homeland security in Wisconsin," Friman said. "There's (also) a political dynamic here…there's a question of how the political processes play out."

Funding from the Department of Homeland Security is allocated in three categories, Friman said: grants, contracts and salaries. Wisconsin has done well in terms of contracts, and worse than its neighbors Illinois and Minnesota in terms of grants and salaries, he said. There are also other groups, such as terrorist prevention groups, that provide money to the state that are not included in the assessment for the homeland security spending, he said.

One group is the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Barbara Ellis, public affairs specialist for the agency, said there were no documents showing it had given money to Wisconsin in 2003. But on June 19, there was a disaster declaration for severe storms and flooding, and the agency gave about $8.5 million to the state for public and individual assistance.

Locally, people have mixed views funding for Wisconsin.

"One way of looking at this would be to say 'Hey, this is great, we live in a really safe state,'" said Ed Sweeney, co-owner of Sweeney's College Books.

Kenneth Cunning, the owner of Village Shoe Repair, 1214 W. Wells St., said everybody is cutting back on expenses and acting like Wisconsin doesn't matter.

"We need that money, we need the security for our kids and our universities and our schools," Cunning said. "We need to protect our own."

Tony Jayamanne, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said Wisconsin may not be receiving enough attention.

"Wisconsin has more people (than other state, and) it seems to be a little bit more important, perhaps," Jayamanne said.

But Colleges of Arts & Sciences senior Rebecca Kennedy said the money distribution seems fair.

"I would say that that probably makes sense, considering that there isn't anything that I know of in Wisconsin that needs protection from terror," she said. "I think it's good that places like Washington, D.C. get more money, since they really need it."