Pubdate: Thu, 07 Jul 2005
Source: Columbia Missourian (MO)
Copyright: 2005 Columbia Missourian
Contact:  http://www.columbiamissourian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2282
Author: August Kryger
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

PROGRAM EDUCATES RETAILERS TO COMBAT METH CRISIS

Retailers, Employees Learn About The Products That Are Used To 
Manufacture Methamphetamine

The Franklin County Sheriff's Department has cooked up a program to 
make it harder to manufacture methamphetamine.

The program is designed to educate retailers and their employees 
about the products used in making meth.

CHEM, which stands for Companies Helping Eliminate Meth, is going to 
be introduced statewide at the end of July. It was started in 2003 by 
Cpl. Jason Grellner of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

The program uses a variety of tactics to educate retailers and deter 
possible criminals. The free kit that police send to participating 
retailers contains an informational video, shelf tags and other 
products with the CHEM logo. Although the program is free for 
businesses, the state has secured a $300,000 spending bill to provide 
training, pamphlets and videos.

Sgt. Mike Stubbs of the Boone County Sheriff's Department said the 
department hadn't yet heard of the program, but would most likely support it.

"We're in favor of any program that will help educate people on what 
it takes to manufacture meth," Stubbs said.

According to Grellner, the program started because his officers were 
seeing that the products found during meth busts were being purchased 
primarily from local retailers.

"Our officers were finding receipts, cold medicine boxes and other 
things that were bought at local stores," he said.

The program began after Franklin County sheriff's deputies began 
going to local retailers to ask them about meth, and they found most 
employees had no idea how people manufactured it.

"We started out small in our community, targeting department stores, 
grocery stores, auto and hardware stores," Grellner said.

Orscheln Farm & Home in Washington, Mo., is one of the businesses 
supporting the CHEM program.

"We've cooperated with the police, put signs up and had employee 
training on two occasions," store manager Chuck Gunn said.

According to Gunn, the store's participation in the program has 
reduced the sale of products that could be used to make meth.

"We were selling a lot of iodine and starter fluid, now those sales 
have dropped a lot," Gunn said.

His store has also been responsible for several arrests.

"We've called the police about some suspicious people, and they've 
caught a couple because of our information," Gunn said.

In Franklin County, the number of meth labs dropped significantly 
when the program was first implemented.

"We saw 160 meth labs drop down to 107," Grellner said.

Capt. Ron Reprogle of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stationed in 
Jefferson City said he hopes the success in Franklin County can be 
replicated statewide.

"We know the program has been successful, and we're looking forward 
to it being implemented statewide," Reprogle said.

Grellner said one of the problems he faced with the program was the 
continuous education of store employees.

"We found out retail has a high rate of turnover, so we had to 
reteach new employees," he said.

The CHEM program will be officially introduced at the Missouri 
Sheriff's Association conference at the end of July.

For more information, retailers can call Grellner at the Franklin 
County Sheriff's Department, 636-583-2560, or visit www.chem-partner.org.
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MAP posted-by: Beth