METH COPS IN PARADOX IN UTAH

Their Cases Dismissed, Officers Say Working Around Drug Labs Sickened Them.

Utah County sheriff's Lt. Dennis Harris may be the best example of the
divide between science, the law and police who say methamphetamine
sickened them.

Harris spent the past month undergoing a treatment purporting to
alleviate symptoms of meth exposure. In the midst of Harris' 30-day
effort to sweat out poisons, an administrative judge dismissed his
worker compensation claim for lack of evidence.

"Physically I feel a lot better," said Harris, 54, whose treatment
ended Nov. 19. "Mentally, I feel fantastic."

The Meth Cops include a few dozen current or former narcotics officers
from across Utah who say working around meth labs, meth precursors or
the finished drug left them with ailments including cancer and
neurological problems.

But science has not yet supported their claims. A state-funded study
released in 2008 found some suggestions the officers have an elevated
risk of certain cancers, but warned the results may be inaccurate
because so few police officers responded to surveys.

There also is debate about a treatment being offered to Meth Cops. The
30-day regimen involves officers exercising, sitting in a sauna and
ingesting antioxidants for five hours a day in order to excrete
poisons. The program is based on the teachings of Scientology and has
received funding from the state Legislature.

But toxicologists contend the poisons would have left the body years
ago and the regimen promotes fringe science over conventional medicine.

Harris, 54, was a narcotics detective for most of the 1990s. He
remembers one drug investigation that took him to Bend, Ore., where he
and another officer loaded a Ford Bronco with meth lab chemicals
seized as evidence and drove back to Utah County.

On the way home, Harris said, he remembers his eyes and lungs
burning.

Today, Harris works in the jail and does some of the public relations
work for the Sheriff's Office. He said his symptoms have included
numbness on his left side, an inability to sleep and acid reflux. And
despite staying active and slim, Harris had a heart attack in August.

"I was really reluctant to get into this program until I started
having a lot of health problems," Harris said.

Like many of the other Meth Cops, Harris requested his case be
dismissed. Many of the Meth Cops are still seeking evidence
methamphetamine caused their illnesses.

A judge also dismissed two other cases last month. In all, 22 workers
compensation cases by the Meth Cops have been dismissed this year.
Five cases are pending with an administrative judge.

Requesting a dismissal gives them time to search for evidence and
gives them the option to file again one day.

But Harris is unsure whether he will refile.

"I feel very thankful that I'm feeling as good as I am right now,"
Harris said.

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Case dismissed

One of the Meth Cops workman's compensation cases dismissed last month
was that of Gary Sterner, a 57-year-old sergeant with the Salt Lake
County Sheriff's Office. Sterner and his late wife both worked on a
drug task force in the 1990s. The case of the deceased wife, Kelly
Nye, was dismissed earlier this year.