FEDERAL GRANT HELPS COUNTIES FIGHT METH, OTHER DRUGS

FREEPORT - Law enforcement officials say the release of more than $5
million in federal money to fight methamphetamine abuse and its
manufacture in Illinois will provide a much-needed boost to regional
anti-drug efforts.

The $5.3 million grant will be distributed to 66 Illinois counties,
state officials announced recently.

Stephenson and Winnebago counties will get $119,996 in enforcement
unit grants, which will be channeled through the Stateline Area
Narcotics Team (SLANT). The joint unit conducts undercover sting and
other drug investigations in Stephenson, Winnebago and Boone counties.

Carroll and Jo Daviess Counties, meanwhile, will receive $69,579 for
the Blackhawk Area Task Force.

The focus of the grant funding, according to Gov. Rod Blagojevich,
whose office distributes the money, is to curtail methamphetamine, a
highly addictive stimulant that is easily manufactured from household
chemicals and medicine. The process also creates toxic waste and
debris, which poses a hazard to those living near a meth operation; as
well as to the authorities who investigate and clean it up.

In Jo Daviess County in 2006, more meth-related charges - eight - were
filed in circuit courts than in Stephenson or Carroll counties. The
most recent case in Stephenson County involved one arrest for meth in
2005, authorities said, adding that meth is still not a primary drug
of abuse in the county. They say they expect the drug to surface more
in the near future.

"It's not here because the drugs of choice here are still cocaine,
heroin and marijuana," Snyders said.

Interim Jo Daviess County Sheriff Brian Melton said local efforts to
fight the methamphetamine problem rely not only on grants for funding,
but on forfeitures of property used in the commission of drug crimes.

"Our drug interdiction unit has been very effective recently, closing
down several meth labs and those distributing this destructive drug,"
Melton said.

According to online Federal Drug Enforcement Administration records,
arrests for methamphetamine have decreased nationwide from 8,163 in
2000 to 5,693 in 2005.

That's good news for the Stephenson County Sheriff's Department, where
Sheriff Dave Snyders said funding cuts in recent years have resulted
in the elimination of 12 deputies, including some who primarily
investigated drug cases.

Most drug arrests by Stephenson County deputies occur during traffic
stops, he said, and tips are referred to other agencies to
investigate, he said. Snyders said SLANT also works with Freeport
police on local drug investigations.

"We have not had anyone from the sheriff's office actively working
drugs since 2001 or 2002 because of mandatory layoffs," Snyders said.
"We are making drug arrests, yes, but there is no staff actively
working drug crimes," Snyders said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Edward Byrne Memorial
State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program is a
partnership among federal, state, and local governments.

It was created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to provide funds to
states and local governments, improve functioning of the criminal
justice system and enhance drug control efforts.