Pubdate: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Bryan Dean, The Oklahoman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) COMMUNITIES KEY IN FIGHT AGAINST METH Oklahoma's law enforcement agencies have tried everything they know to slow the production of methamphetamine. But despite millions of dollars spent on enforcement in the past year, the number of meth labs continues to grow, and prisons continue to swell with meth addicts. Already this year, Oklahoma City police have seized 115 meth labs. At this time last year, they had seized 78. Law enforcement agencies increasingly are turning to their communities to help them identify and capture potential meth cooks before the drugs make it to the streets, officials said. Oklahoma City police Maj. Johnny Kuhlman, who heads the department's "Life or Meth" campaign and supervises meth lab cleanups, said the public is getting better at recognizing the signs of meth production. "I think most of the community realizes that this thing hurts everyone," Kuhlman said. "The community as a whole is becoming more aware." Oklahoma City police and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department both conduct community awareness programs. Retailers, hotel and motel managers, and local residents can all play a part in stopping meth cooks, Kuhlman said. Many of the ingredients meth cooks need, such as pseudoephedrine and lithium batteries, can be bought at any retail store and may look harmless to the untrained eye. Drug companies are trying to find ways to alter the pseudoephedrine commonly sold over the counter so that it can't be used to produce meth, said John Duncan, chief agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. That advance could be a long way off, and until then it is up to store managers to find ways to keep the drug out of the wrong hands. Dean Peery, manager of Albertson's Food and Drug, 7101 NW 23 in Bethany, said Albertson's limits the sale of common meth ingredients, known as precursors. "Most of the items are limited to quantities of 10, and they are actually thinking about lowering it past that because it's still a problem," Peery said. "Who needs 10 boxes of pseudoephedrine?" Of course, if meth cooks are willing to break drug laws, they certainly don't mind stealing from a retail store. Peery said his employees call police when they suspect someone of trying to buy or shoplift items for the purpose of making meth. Police can then put the suspected meth cooks under surveillance until they have enough evidence to get a search warrant. Police also encourage hotel and motel managers to watch for signs of drug labs, which often are set up in hotel rooms. "We've had pretty good luck with the business community," Kuhlman said. "That's probably another reason why we are seeing an increasing number of meth labs processed. There's a possibility that the reason we are seeing more labs is because people know what to look for." In rural areas, county sheriffs rely on tips to find isolated labs that might otherwise go undiscovered. "Without the community telling us where we need to go, we don't know where to go," said Bert Miller, a Coal County sheriff's deputy. Miller said deputies have discovered two labs and the remnants of another in the last month. Keith Cain, a Daviess County, Ky., sheriff, gave an all-day meth seminar June 24 at the National Sheriffs' Convention in Tulsa. The seminar taught sheriffs' deputies what evidence to look for and how to stay safe when searching for meth labs. Meth production exploded in Daviess County in 1998, and Cain's department had to come up with new methods to fight it. "We recognized that this is not a law enforcement problem, it is a community problem," Cain said. "If it was to be successful, it had to be a cooperative effort among the community." Cain worked with his local newspaper, gave public talks about the drug and even took out billboards in his area to increase public awareness of the problem. Cain's department also received two federal grants totaling $600,000. A good portion of that money went toward preventative law enforcement. Deputies stake out businesses that sell anhydrous ammonia, a chemical used in a popular meth-making process. Many of those businesses are burglarized several times each week, Cain said. "The funding has to continue," Cain said. "Without that money, we would not have been able to be as proactive as we were." Jim Acquisto, a narcotics detective sergeant with the Daviess County Sheriff's Department, cleans up several labs each week. He said cleaning up meth labs can be a frustrating job. "You feel a lot better when you actually catch people in the process, and the dope doesn't get on the street because you stopped them in the middle of it," Acquisto said. "The key to that in my opinion is you've got to dedicate the manpower to it, which means money." Kuhlman said Oklahoma City police believe they have enough funds to keep up a good fight against meth, but those funds will go further if the rest of the community does its part. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager