DRUGS BEHIND MOST CRIME

Police Say Thieves Often Feeding Addiction

When The Topeka Capital-Journal's editorial board recently asked him the
main reason for crime in Topeka, Police Chief Dean Forster gave a one-word
answer -- drugs.

"It seems like a lot more crimes are motivated by drugs," said police Capt.
Randy Mills.

Law enforcement officials see no sign that the influence of drugs on crime
in the city will decrease.

"We haven't seen it drop so far," said Special Agent Scott Teeselink, of
the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. He said Kansas is seeing more drug
seizures.

Mills said he sees "hard drugs" as having a significant effect in
triggering acts of crime.

"You have more people now doing more serious drugs than before," he said.
"People used to do marijuana. It has shifted from recreational drugs to
addictive."

Criminals motivated by addiction steal property in exchange for drugs
instead of money, according to Mills. He said they also tend to commit more
serious crimes.

"A lot of armed robberies are by people wanting to supply their drug
habits," Mills said.

As authorities make more drug arrests, they say producers counter by making
more illegal drugs. The number of methamphetamine labs seized in Kansas
increased to 511 last year from 71 in 1995, Teeselink said. As of last
Tuesday, 373 meth labs had been raided this year.

"We're going to top 600 (labs)," Teeselink said. "That's just one drug in
one state."

Teeselink said the KBI needs more manpower to bring down additional labs
and investigate other crimes. Manpower is a problem for all law
enforcement, he said.

Mills said he doesn't necessarily think that is the case for Topeka police.

"We have the manpower to attack problems once we recognize them," he said.

Teeselink said the KBI has been hiring additional agents to work at a new
laboratory in the Kansas City area that processes evidence about drug
offenses and other crimes. The KBI also has opened a new lab in Pittsburg.

Officials say cooperation from residents is even more important than the
addition of new law enforcement officers. Both Topeka police and the KBI
stress the importance of being notified about possible drug crimes.

"There is no way we can do this alone," Teeselink said. "We need support."

He said support has increased significantly as the result of a "new
attitude" by residents.

"People are sick and tired of being victimized by crime," Teeselink said.

Topeka police also are tired of crime. Mills said the department has
developed a new plan to bring crime rates down by attacking all forms of
crime, not just drugs.

"The command staff has put together a good action plan that will hopefully
have an impact," Mills said. "People will see an impact soon."

Capital-Journal reporter Tim Hrenchir contributed to this report.