GRANTS TO AID WAR ON GANGS, DRUGS

The Charleston Police Department has received a pair of grants to
help curb gang and drug activity.

At a City Council meeting on Monday, the funds for an anti-gang grant
from the state Division of Criminal Justice and a U.S Department of
Justice grant aimed at deterring methamphetamine production were discussed.

The anti-gang grant, which totals $77,392, will provide funds for
travel, training and overtime for the city's Gang Task Force.

The task force is made up of two police officers that cooperate with
the Federal Bureau of Investigation to get gangs off the streets.

"They look for trends in gang activity around the city," Police Chief
Brent Webster said.

Webster said the grant money would be used to purchase pole cameras
for the city.

The police department currently owns three cameras, which are placed
in areas where high crime activity is occurring.

Webster said the department plans to buy three more cameras.

Mayor Danny Jones has been promoting public safety through the
widespread use of surveillance cameras in the city.

Although six won't fulfill Jones' ultimate vision, Webster said the
new cameras are a start.

"They are pretty much for special needs right now," Webster said. "It
helps us keep tabs on wherever we think there is a crime problem with
a certain area."

He said the current set of non-stationary cameras have been used on
the West Side and at the Roosevelt Community Center on the East End.

Webster said the city would also benefit from an $189,046 grant aimed
at curbing methamphetamine production.

The money will be shared with the Kanawha County Sheriff's
Department.

Webster said the city's share would be spent on overtime, travel and
training for the officers. The funds also will be used to purchase
more protective suits and breathing equipment.

Although the city police does not clean up meth houses, Webster said
officers do collect samples of the drug to use for evidence.

He said meth production in the city has gone down during the past
year. He chalked up the decline to increased citizen knowledge of the
drug.

"I think people are more aware of meth now," Webster said. "They know
the smell of it and the fumes coming from making it. It's helped us
out a lot."

Webster said the county's anonymous meth tip line also has been
beneficial.

Enacted in 2005, the 24-hour tip line is an automated service that
records public tips on suspected illegal drug activity in the county.