SUMMIT PLANNED TO COMBAT METH

The first planning session to prepare for a fall Meth Summit in Polk
revealed there is an alarming lack of grassroots support to combat drug
sales, abuse and related crimes.

The session, spearheaded by the Polk County Council for Children and
Families, was held June 29.

The problem: Meth can be found in one of every three houses in Polk County.
There is a shift from meth labs to more cartel-related crime issues.

Drugs are arriving in larger quantities, which are broken into five pounds
for easier distribution. Five pounds of narcotics has a street value of
about one-half million dollars, providing incentive for people to get into
the business. Law enforcement officers often go into "smoke houses" where
there are six or seven people that are not dealers but users.

Children are often found in these homes and taken from their parents.

The volume keeps increasing and agencies, such as the Department of Family
and Children Services, are being overwhelmed. Too many children and too many
homes are involved. There is a cycle that should be broken.

More resources and rehabilitation services are needed.

Crimes come full circle and point back to drug use (drug-related).

The facts: Polk is very attractive to drug dealers.

It is centrally located with plenty of transportation routes to get in and
out. Rural America is an easy target. Use and abuse is everywhere in this
county, including its municipalities. Drug use is changing from cocaine and
marijuana to methamphetamine, which is described as the drug of choice since
it is easy to make with a high profit margin for distributors. Polk still
has time to develop programs and learn from errors made in other
communities. There is a definite need to restructure the idea that "it
doesn't affect me." If it is here, it does. People must get involved from
the grassroots level to local and state government. Citizens turn a blind
eye to the truth regardless of what they read, see and hear in the media.
They don't show interest and concern unless it affects a family member.

The call must go out: Wake up! Polk County. Your communities are becoming
the scene of crime and it does impact your life and you pay. Your taxes must
support those in jail and prison, care for children that are left homeless
and services re-quired to rehabilitate the teen that thought it would be a
great way to lose weight and can't quit.

The plan: Focus on communities. Post meeting notices. Inform people what is
being planned and how they can help. When organized, then work on pulling
representatives from each in a countywide effort.

Get everyone involved.

This includes the government, courts, schools, churches, businesses, civic
groups and others. People need to wake up and know what is going on.
Implement a Meth Watch program, which is designed to help curtail the theft
and suspicious sales of pseudoephedrine products, as well as other common
household products used in the illicit manufacturing of methamphetamine in
small, toxic labs. A key goal of this program is to promote cooperation
between retailers and law enforcement to prevent the diversion of legitimate
products for illegal use.

The result: Once dealers see that Polk County is taking a stand, they will
pick up and go elsewhere.

If not here, users will have to quit or drive to another county to get
drugs.

Among those invited to the planning meeting were: Sgt. Matt Meeks and Capt.
Ray Sullivan, Polk County Police Department; Malindy Ely, Polk Health
Department; Diane Guy, Department of Family and Children Ser-vices; Jesse
Hamrick, Douglas County Sheriff's Department; Charity Prater, Murphy Harpst;
Kim Harrell, Baby Steps; Allison Hooton, Tanner Behavioral Health; Kevin
Wilbanks; Counseling Associates of West Georgia.