Pubdate: Sun, 16 Jan 2000
Source: Tulsa World (OK)
Copyright: 2000 World Publishing Co.
Contact:  P.O. Box 1770, Tulsa, OK 74102
Website: http://www.tulsaworld.com/
Author: Nicole Marshall, World staff writer

GROWING NUMBER OF LAB BUSTS INDICATES PROBLEM

The numbers don't lie. There is no doubt that methamphetamine is a
growing problem in Tulsa, police officials say.

Tulsa police seized 132 methamphetamine labs last year, new statistics
show.

But the year before, they dismantled 47.

In 1997, 23 labs were found.

And four years ago, there were only 12, said Maj. Bill Wells,
commander of the Police Department's Special Investigations Division.

"This year we have already had seven labs, and the year is only 13
days old," Wells said Thursday. "You can see where we are headed. You
can see where we are going with these things.

"Needless to say, this is not a big problem. This is a huge problem
for the Police Department."

Those numbers include only the labs handled by Tulsa police, although
a few investigations led Tulsa officers to labs outside the city limits.

And the statistics do not reflect the area methamphetamine
manufacturing investigations headed by agencies such as the Tulsa
County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and
Dangerous Drugs Control or the Drug Enforcement Administration, he
said.

Statistics also show a dramatic increase in the number of people
arrested for manufacturing drugs, Wells said.

Mayor Susan Savage and Police Chief Ron Palmer will present Tulsa's
meth lab statistics at a one-day methamphetamine symposium this month
during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.

Officers have mapped the locations where methamphetamine labs were
found, and Savage noted that no part of the city was exempt from meth
lab seizures.

Many of the labs were found in rental houses, Wells said, and more
than one may have been found at the same location last year.

"The mapping is used for us to be able to follow trends," Savage said.
"It is information that we are going to share with neighborhood
associations to target prevention, as well."

To combat the explosion of methamphetamine production in Tulsa, Wells
and Savage said that police this year will institute a plan that
cracks down on the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine.

More than $200,000 in Local Law Enforcement Block Grant funds are
earmarked for attempts to eliminate or decrease the number of
clandestine drug labs here. The effort will be a three-part process,
Wells said.

Wells supervises 18 officers who are trained by the Drug Enforcement
Administration to dismantle and investigate methamphetamine labs.
These officers are often called away from other investigations to tend
to meth labs or are called while they are off duty.

"This generates an incredible amount of overtime," Wells said,
explaining that some of the grant money will fund that overtime.

The money will also be used to purchase materials to educate merchants
who sell legal products that criminals use en masse to manufacture the
drug.

"Most of the precursor chemicals can be purchased at any number of
stores in Tulsa," Wells said. "We are going to ask merchants to
voluntarily help us by either restricting the sale of precursor
products to a certain amount or to notify us about suspiciously large
purchases."

Some retailers already restrict the amount of certain types of
over-the-counter drugs that are essential ingredients in
methamphetamine "recipes."

Also, the money will buy specialized safety equipment and clothing
that trained officers must wear when they dismantle the potentially
volatile labs. Training pamphlets that alert patrol officers to the
warning signs of methamphetamine labs will also be created and
disseminated.

While all officers are trained in what to look for, Wells said, the
pamphlets will be quick reference guides to remind patrol officers of
the dangers.

Wells said he expects the grant money to be available and the plan
under way in early spring.

"I am really pleased with the attention we are giving to this," Savage
said. "While the problem has grown very quickly in the community, I
think we also have some time to have an impact on this."
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