Pubdate: Thu, 16 Aug 2001
Source: Grand Island Independent (NE)
Copyright: 2001 Grand Island Independent
Contact:  http://www.theindependent.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1023
Author: Harold Reutter

VAN WILL HELP LAW ENFORCEMENT BATTLE DRUGS

Officers Will Use It While Dismantling Meth Labs

A van described as a "new weapon to add to the arsenal" in the war against 
methamphetamine in Central Nebraska made its debut appearance in Grand 
Island Wednesday.

The van that will be stationed in Hall County was not in town.

Rather, its near-identical twin from Omaha appeared for a press conference 
while the Central Nebraska van was being outfitted with its last few supplies.

Hall County Sheriff Jerry Watson made introductory remarks, noting that the 
van is another weapon to fight drugs. He said the van is used both to shut 
down drug labs and collect evidence.

More importantly, Watson said, the van is needed "for the protection of the 
public" from toxic and explosive chemicals.

"We need this equipment to perform our jobs as safely as possible," he said.

Glenn Kemp of the Adams County Sheriff's Department is the west central 
Nebraska coordinator for dismantling drug labs.

The van, which cost $52,000 fully equipped, will be stationed in Hall 
County and serve an 18-county area stretching from Harlan and Franklin 
counties at the Kansas border to Boyd County along the South Dakota state line.

Kemp said law enforcement often had to respond with two vehicles in an 
attempt to carry all the equipment needed to shut down a meth lab. He said 
seven meth labs have been shut down in the 18-county area so far this year.

Kemp said members of the van lab team include the Nebraska State Patrol, 
Adams County Sheriff's Department, Hastings Police Department and Columbus 
Police Department. Two officers from the Grand Island Police Department are 
about to undergo training to become part of the team.

During the press conference, Kemp showed all the equipment on a fully 
stocked van. It included:

* Air tanks, or self-contained breathing apparatus.

* Evidence collection materials.

* A myriad of report forms for not only law enforcement agencies but also 
federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

* Gas tech monitors to get air samples from inside meth labs to detect 
potentially dangerous chemicals.

* Fire extinguishers.

* A generator for power, as well as cable so an outside light source can be 
brought into the lab. Kemp explained that investigators don't want to bring 
heat from a light into the lab for fear of causing an explosion.

* Hoses to run water from a water tank that sits inside one of the van's 
interior bench seats. The water is used to decontaminate people who have 
worked inside the lab. Other bench seats in the van hold equipment such as 
the decontamination suits that must be worn into a lab.

When shutting down a lab, people wear two different suits. The interior 
suit is fireproof. They also wear two layers of gloves, as well as special 
boots or foot coverings. Masks and air tanks are part of the wardrobe. All 
that gear is duct taped.

"It's like being in a sauna," Kemp said in a muffled voice when he had 
donned the gear. "It's completely sealed."

The gear emphasizes the cleanup aspects of shutting down a meth lab. But 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mick Mickle said the van also is critical in 
obtaining convictions.

"The culpability of the defendant is based on the quantity of the 
chemicals," he said. That's true for both precursor chemicals used in 
manufacturing methamphetamine, as well as methamphetamine itself.

"If someone has 50 tablets (of one of the precursor chemicals), they have a 
sinus problem," he said.

But a defendant will receive a prison sentence for possessing 500 tablets 
along with the other necessary ingredients and equipment, Mickle said. The 
prison sentence will be even longer for 5,000 tablets.

Likewise, a vial in a lab may have three layers of liquid, with 
methamphetamine detectable in only one layer, Mickle said.

Mark Dreher and Kevin Sheeks of the Grand Island Police Department are 
joining the Nebraska Clan (Clandestine) Lab Team. Initially, they will only 
work outside the crime scene perimeter, but they will be fully certified by 
early 2002.

Sheeks said he wanted to join the team to gain experience and work with 
other law enforcement agencies. He has been in Grand Island for 18 months.

Dreher has been with the department for 12 years. In that time, "I've seen 
the meth problem grow like crazy. I wanted to help out."

Kemp said Midwestern states such as Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and 
others have seen increases in meth labs because of a false perception by 
criminals that they are likely to escape detection in isolated rural areas. 
He said that's not true.

A $525,000 grant purchased two vans for Nebraska. The money also will be 
used for training team members and restocking the vans.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D