POLICE STUDY METH, GANGS

Law enforcement leaders met Wednesday to discuss gang activity and
meth labs - two of the more prominent criminal threats to the Twin
Counties. Officials said Rocky Mount is not yet known as a haven for
either crime. But they intend to be proactive, curbing the network
that is causing the problems before they get out of control.

"The idea is we want to work together," said Lt. Scott Parker of the
Nash County Sheriff's Department. "We want to be prepared." Rocky
Mount police Cpl. Chris Johnson gave an overview of the city's gang
activity. He said there is really no way to categorize the problem
here compared to surrounding areas. But while not nearly as severe as
in Los Angeles, he said it is significant enough to warrant close
attention. That proved even more true with the recent underground
release of a DVD that advertises the gang presence in Rocky Mount,
Johnson said. Titled "Welcome to the Mount," the DVD features home
video footage of gang members in local neighborhoods. Along with some
narration, it also depicts people brandishing guns and evidence of
assault and prostitution, Johnson said. "It's patterned after a
similar DVD that was made about gang activity in Durham three years
ago," Johnson said.

Rocky Mount police Capt. Laura Fahnestock said the department has
worked with Durham authorities to ascertain the risk of gangs here.
They consequently focused on an area of south Rocky Mount with a zero
tolerance policy that is producing positive results.

"We've made over 150 arrests in a three-week period," she said. "It's
been everything from minor traffic offenses to drug arrests, assaults
and weapons charges." Johnson said an alarming reality in area high
schools is that even squeaky-clean teenagers can identify which of
their peers are in which gangs - down to which bathrooms "belong" to
which group. "I urge you to talk to the school resource officers at
these schools, because they see what's going on first-hand," Johnson
said. Special Agent Kelly Page of the State Bureau of Investigation
gave an overview on the problems with meth, which she called a highly
addictive and destructive drug. State officials have focused on the
drug of late because it is easy to make in rural environments with no
electricity, using common household chemicals and products.

Page said meth labs have not been as common in Eastern North Carolina
as in the western part of the state. But she said the regional
hotbeds for production in this area are not that far away.

"I'm here to tell you it's here. It has arrived in Eastern North
Carolina," Page said. "We found nine labs alone in the east in the
first two weeks of 2006." The meeting also brought together
representatives from areas of the community that could be impacted by
a meth lab bust or explosion. Members of the Nash County
Methamphetamine Task Force discussed protocol for dealing with
related injuries, contamination and even the effect on children whose
parents have been running a lab.

The discussion revealed that more must be done to put an effective
response plan in place. But those in attendance were confident in the
steps that are being taken.

"I think we can already see we're having some problems," said Rocky
Mount Police Chief John Manley. "But we have to stick with the idea
of working together."