NO PROOF YET OF SPECIAL METH UNIT'S SUCCESS

We wish we could be as confident as Gov. Rod Blagojevich that the
state is "making a difference" on the methamphetamine problem.

Arrest statistics don't prove his contention.

Last week, the governor said in a prepared statement that the special
Illinois State Police unit formed to track down methamphetamine labs
had arrested 653 people in its first full year of operation. The unit
was created in May 2005.

At this time, there are no comparable statistics by which to measure
this unit's success. And total meth arrests in Illinois over the past
two calendar years show a decline in 2005.

There were 1,264 arrests in 2004, according to state police. There
were 737 last year. Some of the 653 special-unit's "first-year"
arrests are included in the 2005 figures.

One never knows the exact meaning of such statistics. Do they mean
more "bad" guys got away? Or is stepped-up enforcement producing
desired results?

Year-to-year arrest trends suggest 2005 wasn't a good year for arrests.

In 2004, the 21 Metropolitan Enforcement Groups (MEG) and task forces
formed among law enforcement agencies throughout the state recorded
the 1,264 arrests. Because meth arrests had increased from 605
arrests in 2000, six Methamphetamine Response Teams were formed by
state police to concentrate on meth-related drug crimes.

MEG units and the task forces then began concentrating on other illegal drugs.

The true effectiveness of the special meth units can't be measured
until this time next year.

A state police spokesman pointed out that troopers assigned to the
new meth units spent their first few weeks in learning more about the
production of math and in training on how to detect and break up meth
labs, so they weren't at full production for their entire year.

The units also don't spend all of their time on arrests.

During the first year, the units made 177 presentations to retail and
business places and another 169 presentations to schools and community groups.

The units also conducted 19 Drug Endangered Children training
sessions for social service and public safety personnel and educators.

User comments on this story)

Note: All views and opinions expressed in user comments are solely
those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of The
Pantagraph or its staff.

Mac wrote on June 16, 2006 3:48 PM:"Questions, you obviously don't
work in child welfare, law enforcement or the court system. This is a
terrible drug that is a particular problem in central and southern
Illinois. It is many times more addictive than cocaine. Addicts have
an extremely poor recovery rate. The poisons used to make it can have
long term effects almost as deadly as the drug itself. Talk to
someone in law enforcement or child welfare about meth and then see
if you think it's hyped to sell newspapers. "

Dave Stump wrote on June 16, 2006 2:22 PM:"Take a walk through any
small town in Southern Illinois and then tell me Meth is not a
serious problem. Don't kid yourself. Meth is chewing up our kids. We
can not let down our guard on this terrible problem. Look at the
stats now on how much Meth is coming over the US border. Look at the
money the gangs are taking in on Meth sales. We have to fight drug
problems where ever they show their ugly heads. Support the efforts
of those who are fighting this terrible problem."

Questions wrote on June 16, 2006 9:59 AM:"Did it ever occur to you
that Meth is not a significant problem in our society? According to a
study released this past Wed. and reported on the AP wire (evidently
the Pantagraph editorial board doesn't read these stories) "The
portrayal of methamphetamine in the United States as an epidemic
spreading across the country has been grossly overstated." Also, four
times as many people use cocaine regularly and 30 times as many use
marijuana. Lets stop pushing expensive solutions to nonexistent
problems which have been hyped to sell newspapers."