DRUG THREAT IS HOMEGROWN

The numbers don't lie. There is no doubt that methamphetamine is a growing
problem in Tulsa, police officials say.

Tulsa police seized 132 methamphetamine labs last year, new statistics show.

But the year before, they dismantled 47.

In 1997, 23 labs were found.

And four years ago, there were only 12, said Maj. Bill Wells, commander of
the Police Department's Special Investigations Division.

"This year we have already had seven labs, and the year is only 13 days
old," Wells said Thursday. "You can see where we are headed. You can see
where we are going with these things.

"Needless to say, this is not a big problem. This is a huge problem for the
Police Department."

Those numbers include only the labs handled by Tulsa police, although a few
investigations led Tulsa officers to labs outside the city limits.

And the statistics do not reflect the area methamphetamine manufacturing
investigations headed by agencies such as the Tulsa County Sheriff's
Office, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control or the
Drug Enforcement Administration, he said.

Statistics also show a dramatic increase in the number of people arrested
for manufacturing drugs, Wells said.

Mayor Susan Savage and Police Chief Ron Palmer will present Tulsa's meth
lab statistics at a one-day methamphetamine symposium this month during the
U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.

Officers have mapped the locations where methamphetamine labs were found,
and Savage noted that no part of the city was exempt from meth lab seizures.

Many of the labs were found in rental houses, Wells said, and more than one
may have been found at the same location last year.

"The mapping is used for us to be able to follow trends," Savage said. "It
is information that we are going to share with neighborhood associations to
target prevention, as well."

To combat the explosion of methamphetamine production in Tulsa, Wells and
Savage said that police this year will institute a plan that cracks down on
the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine.

More than $200,000 in Local Law Enforcement Block Grant funds are earmarked
for attempts to eliminate or decrease the number of clandestine drug labs
here. The effort will be a three-part process, Wells said.

Wells supervises 18 officers who are trained by the Drug Enforcement
Administration to dismantle and investigate methamphetamine labs. These
officers are often called away from other investigations to tend to meth
labs or are called while they are off duty.

"This generates an incredible amount of overtime," Wells said, explaining
that some of the grant money will fund that overtime.

The money will also be used to purchase materials to educate merchants who
sell legal products that criminals use en masse to manufacture the drug.

"Most of the precursor chemicals can be purchased at any number of stores
in Tulsa," Wells said. "We are going to ask merchants to voluntarily help
us by either restricting the sale of precursor products to a certain amount
or to notify us about suspiciously large purchases."

Some retailers already restrict the amount of certain types of
over-the-counter drugs that are essential ingredients in methamphetamine
"recipes."

Also, the money will buy specialized safety equipment and clothing that
trained officers must wear when they dismantle the potentially volatile
labs. Training pamphlets that alert patrol officers to the warning signs of
methamphetamine labs will also be created and disseminated.

While all officers are trained in what to look for, Wells said, the
pamphlets will be quick reference guides to remind patrol officers of the
dangers.

Wells said he expects the grant money to be available and the plan under
way in early spring.

"I am really pleased with the attention we are giving to this," Savage
said. "While the problem has grown very quickly in the community, I think
we also have some time to have an impact on this."

Nicole Marshall, World staff writer, can be reached at 581-8459 or via
e-mail at nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com.