METH TIP LINE PAYS OFF

More than 1,000 tips have flooded the methamphetamine tip line for Kanawha
County.

That means the automated recording service records a new tip on suspected
illegal drug activity in Kanawha County about once every two hours.

The tips created an early torrent of busts soon after the tip line was
created March 1, as deputies seized meth-making materials and made their
presence known.

Now they say they don't have to devote nearly as much time to the meth problem.

"We found as many labs in the county in the first two months that we
started the tip line as we did in all of last year," said Kanawha County
Sheriff Mike Rutherford.

Recently, the number of labs busted has dropped off -- a trend the sheriff
sees as indicative of success.

The department investigated between three and four labs a day at first.
That has dropped to three to five labs a week.

"It seems like we've made a big dent in it," the sheriff said. "We're not
seeing a lot of the people now that we were initially."

Some of those arrested in Kanawha County on drug charges have been
surfacing in other counties, Rutherford said.

"If we make it hot here, they'll just go somewhere else," Rutherford said.
"I think (the tip line) has made a huge difference."

Though officials have encouraged callers to report tips on methamphetamine
creation and use, the line is open to information on all drugs and can be
reached by calling 357-4693.

The line has received a total of 1,175 calls since its inception.

The Metro Drug Unit, a collaborative police force in the Charleston area,
has cleaned out 106 meth labs so far this year, said Lt. Chuck Carpenter.

About 50 percent of those labs have been found through information
generated from the tip line, he said.

"We'll get a call every day," he said. "(The callers) want this problem
eradicated. It's been a blight on society."

Callers can leave anonymous tips about suspicious activity in their
neighborhoods, although those willing to leave a name and number where they
can be reached for additional information can be especially helpful to
officers.

"I really believe the citizens are fed up with the drugs and the problems
associated with them," Rutherford said. "They're seeing the deputies going
out and working hard, and they're doing something about it."

Officials in Putnam County have received 83 tips from citizens since their
tip line started March 25. The number is 586-0263.

Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith said tipline callers have been a big help.

"It's making a difference," Smith said. "It's giving us eyes and ears out
there in places we can't be all the time."

So far, only one lab has been seized with information garnered solely from
a tip, but the department is grateful for the information.

"It gives us somewhere to start," Smith said.