A'VILLE POLICE'S FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS GROWS

It's no secret that drug use in Marshall County is at epidemic proportions,
and recent emphasis on making the public more aware of the widespread
problem had the Albertville Police Department releasing a surprising statistic.

Acting Police Chief Benny Womack said the police department was aware of
the growing problem, but he realized just how much the officers were
encountering the problem after looking at the arrest records.

"I just chose a random month this year and compared it to the same month
last year. In April of 2001, we had three drug arrests. In April 2002, we
had 23," he said.

The increased number of drug arrests seen by the department is from a
number of factors, Womack said. The department has spent the last three
years focusing on additional training for the officers in drug interdiction
on the street as well as recognizing clandestine drug manufacturing labs.

Along with the additional training, the public awareness of the problem as
well as the growth of the problem itself has also contributed to the
increase in arrests.

Womack said the breakdown of the arrests is also evident of the way the
problem has changed over the years. In April 2001, two of the arrests were
for methamphetamine possession while one was for marijuana possession. In
April 2002, the meth arrests increased to 12 while the marijuana cases
totaled eight.

Other arrests in April 2002 were for possession of drug paraphernalia,
possession of cocaine and possession of narcotic equipment, possibly a drug
lab, Womack said.

"I think you'll always seen marijuana arrests because it's what we call a
gateway drug. It's what they use before they move on to other drugs. But
you definitely see an increase in meth cases because it's become such a
problem," he said.

Womack added that along with the drug arrests, most of those cases involved
other charges as well, such as criminal mischief, domestic violence,
possession of a forged instrument and driving under the influence.

Most of the arrests have been made on the night shift during traffic stops,
but Womack said sometimes the suspects sense the increased attention by
police at night, so they move their operations to the daytime hours.

"We try to stay on top of it. Most of our cases are turned over to the Drug
Enforcement Unit for investigation and prosecution by the District
Attorney's office," he said.

Womack said he anticipates an continued increase in the number of drug
arrests, especially with the addition of Recon, a K-9 drug officer the
department acquired from the DEU.