Pubdate: Mon, 02 Jul 2001 Source: MSNBC (US Web) Copyright: 2001 MSNBC Contact: http://msnbc.com/news/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/938 FIGHTING METH CONTINUES TO COST SPOKANE MORE AND MORE MONEY SPOKANE, WA, July 2 - We're only halfway through the year and police say they've already spent more than they ever imagined battling meth. Now it could mean sacrifices for you. 86 meth labs have been busted this year so far, which is more than all of last year. And as that number grows, the question of how to pay for the costs of fighting meth becomes a bigger issue. Police have already spent $150,000 to fight the meth problem this year. "We can't stop doing it. It's such a hazard to the public and such a priority that we can't stop doing it," says Lt. Darrell Toombs. "But we're going to be seeking other sources of income and resources for this." The question is where to look. Police and fire take up more than half of the city's budget. Parks, streets, libraries and courts spend another 30% or so, meaning there's not much left to draw from. As a result, the city is trying to persuade the federal and state governments to kick in to help fight something that's become much bigger than what local governments can handle. "They recognize the problem. they recognize the consequences," says Spokane City administrator Jack Lynch. "They know that from a social perspective and a law enforcement perspective it's too big now to be ignored. They need to partner with us." The police department says it costs $1,500 for its officers just to suit up to go into a lab, and with 86 of them raided this year already and at least a hundred more expected by year's end, they hope the money doesn't run out. The police department just received a $7,700 reimbursement for meth cleanup, for the first time ever. The department says that's great, but that it'll take much more than that to get a handle on the problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth