SUMMIT IS TAKING WAR AGAINST METH TO STREETS

RICHFIELD - Summit County has a new weapon in its escalating battle against
methamphetamine labs and their operators.

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander
unveiled what they termed "clandestine lab response vehicles" -- four Ford
F-150 pickup trucks equipped with items like digital cameras, breathing
apparatus, air-monitoring devices and protective vests -- in a Wednesday
afternoon press conference at the Northeast Forensic Laboratory and
Training Center.

The vehicles will support drug unit agents as they bust meth makers and
dismantle their labs -- an always dangerous operation, said Capt. Hylton
Baker of the Summit County Drug Unit.

"There's toxic fumes, dangerous chemicals, the threat of fire," Baker said.
"One of the big things we've found when we enter these places is that there
are a lot of weapons, too.

"The labs, the toxins, the operators themselves -- it's dangerous, and we
want our people to be as prepared as they can, to have as much protection
as possible," Baker said.

The Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, through a federal
grant provided by the Department of Justice, has four of the response
vehicles at three locations around the state. One of the vehicles is
stationed in Summit County, one in Bowling Green, and two are in London.
Each of the vehicles is valued at $40,000. The truck has already been used
locally. Baker said it was deployed to a Waterloo Road home on April 6,
where three residents were rendered unconscious by fumes from an operating
meth lab.

More than 30 labs have been raided in Summit County this year and more than
100 were taken down in 2004. That effort has been noticed by the state,
said Scott Duff, head of the BCI's drug investigation unit. "They're
actively looking for them (meth labs) here, and if you do that, you're
going to find them," Duff said. "We're here to support that effort and give
these officers the tools they need to perform their duties. That's the
goal, to keep everybody safe." Petro obtained the $794,000 grant and has
also used the funds to provide certification training and protective
equipment to law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio.

"I'm thrilled that the attorney general has made this possible," Alexander
said. "I've always advocated better equipment and better training for our
people, and this is a tremendous way to put this in the hands of people who
need them.

"These are dangerous drugs, and we need our people to be safe when they're
dealing with them."