STATE POLICE STAY BUSY FIGHTING METH

SPRINGFIELD - Six Illinois State Police response teams had a busy
first year combating the spread of methamphetamine labs statewide,
state officials said Wednesday.

The teams of troopers handled 750 meth-related incidents in their
first year of operation, made more than 650 arrests and seized nearly
213,000 grams of meth and materials used to make the drug, Gov. Rod
Blagojevich's office said in a news release.

The teams were formed in May 2005 in six cities around the state to
help local authorities deal with a skyrocketing number of meth cases,
with meth arrests by task forces and city enforcement groups more
than doubling from 2000 to 2004.

More than half of the 750 cases were referred to the teams by local
law enforcement or other State Police investigative units, and many
of the arrests involved purchasing of materials needed to produce
meth, officials said.

They are designed to seize and dismantle meth labs, investigate meth
manufacturers and raise awareness and education about the dangers of
meth by making presentations to schools and community groups.

"We're taking a very serious approach to the significant issues
associated with this devastating drug," State Police Director Larry
Trent said in a statement. "Law enforcement remains committed to this
effort and my agency will dedicate every resource necessary to combat
this dangerous drug."