GO ONLINE TO SEE IF NEIGHBOR MADE METH

TBI Searchable Registry Lists Convicted Offenders

If you're wondering whether anyone in your neighborhood is involved in
methamphetamine manufacturing, there's now a Web site to search for
convicted meth offenders.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation last week made a searchable "Meth
Offender Registry" available at http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/methor. The
Web site lists by name and by county anyone convicted in Tennessee of
charges related to manufacturing meth, a highly addictive stimulant that's
often made in homemade "labs" using dangerous combinations of household
chemicals.

The database was created at the recommendation of a statewide meth task
force, said Jennifer Johnson, spokeswoman for the TBI.

"The general idea is to let people know who is making meth in their homes,"
Johnson said.

The information can be valuable to landlords who want to know whether a
potential renter has a history with the drug, or residents who want to be
sure their neighborhoods are safe.

"People who make meth are a hazard not only to themselves, but to others
around, due to the volatility of those chemicals," Johnson said. "People in
rural areas may want to check out a neighbor."

The Meth-Free Tennessee Act of 2005 was signed into law earlier this year
by Gov. Phil Bredesen. A major component of the law required pharmacies to
move products containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient of many cold
medicines, behind the counter. Pseudoephedrine is also an important
ingredient in making meth.

Johnson said the TBI also hopes the registry will serve as a deterrent,
keeping people from getting involved with meth. The state's public sex
offender registry, which is also on the Internet, has been embarrassing
enough that some potential offenders have said it was a deterrent, Johnson
said.

"Being on this registry is certainly embarrassing, but, of course, some
people won't be deterred by anything," Johnson said.