REGION SEES A DECREASE IN METH ARRESTS

State Legislature Toughens Sentences For Convicted Manufacturers

Around 5:30 p.m. on May 4, 2001 then-deputy Joe Halbrooks noticed a
man driving away from anhydrous ammonia tanks parked in rural Marine
where he was on patrol.

The man fled north on Humbolt Street. Halbrooks followed. The pursuit
followed Route 143, Interstate 255, Interstate 270 and wound up at
Troy Road and Montclaire Avenue in Edwardsville, where the deputy had
radioed ahead to have "stop sticks" strung across the road. The
triangular pointy sticks punctured the vehicle's right front tire,
although the man continued driving west to Second Street. He fled on
foot, but Halbrooks was able to handcuff him after he tripped.

The suspect, of St. Louis, was charged with theft.
Markham turned out to be a major "cooker" of methamphetamine in
Missouri. Anhydrous ammonia is used by farmers as a source of
nitrogen for their fields. But it's also a key ingredient in meth
production, and other Missouri meth cookers often stole
it from tanks that farmers in Marine and St. Jacob often let stand
overnight in their fields.

On Friday, Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz said that meth arrests
in the county are down in 2006, in part because police and farmers
have become more aware that anhydrous ammonia tanks are a prime target.

"I've noticed a marked decrease in that activity," Hertz said of such thefts.

While end-of-the-year statistics are not yet available, Hertz
suspects they will show that meth arrests have dropped in recent
years. He also cited a recent state law that moves adult cold
capsules containing pseudophedrine -- another key ingredient in meth
production -- behind pharmacy counters.

And the legislature has also doubled the jail sentence for anyone
convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine when children are present.

Last week U.S. Senator Dick Durbin announced a campaign to promote
awareness and prevention of methamphetamine abuse in southern and
central Illinois. The campaign, in partnership with the Illinois
Sheriff's Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, will
use TV and radio commercials as well as billboards to educate
Illinoisans about the dangers of meth.

In 2006, Durbin secured $177,000 in federal funding to raise meth
awareness.

Earlier in the year, Durbin asked the University of Illinois to
gather and analyze data on how meth is affecting Illinois and to look
for strategies for fighting it. The data suggests that most victims
are white adults living in rural areas. Most of those involved are
poor and have less education than the average Illinois citizen,
according to a news release from Durbin. Men outnumber women by 12
percent, according to the U of I study. The stronger hold on women
has major implications for children and families, Durbin said in the
release. In Illinois, 1,700 women and children and 115 pregnant women
entered public drug treatment centers in Illinois last year. In 2004,
more than half the children entering foster care in some rural areas
of rural southeastern Illinois were forced into the program because
their caretakers were meth abusers, according to the release.

"Meth is tearing apart our families and overwhelming our child
welfare network," Durbin said in the release. "Illinois law
enforcement response has been swift and well-coordinated." Last year,
state police encountered nearly 1,000 meth labs, more than double the
number encountered in 2000, he said.