GRANTS GIVE TASK FORCE GEAR TO FIGHT METH

PASCAGOULA -- Grant funding has allowed the Jackson County Sheriff's
Department to purchase big ticket items to help combat methamphetamine
manufacturing.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said grants awarded to the sheriff's
department since last year have allowed the purchase of seven vehicles, six
four-wheelers and an equipment trailer.

So far, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department received two
Methamphetamine Hot Spots grants through the U.S. Department of Justice. In
2003, the county was awarded $400,000 and in 2004 it received $250,000.
Byrd said the county has applied for another $250,000.

"This is something we've worked hard for," Byrd said. "There is a serious
problem with methamphetamine in Jackson County."

Louie Miller, commander of the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County, said
over the years the task force has worked meth lab cases in every area of
the county.

"There is not an area in Jackson County that there hasn't been a meth lab,"
Miller said. "It's in every city."

Sheriff's Department statistics show that since 2000 the sheriff's
department made 224 drug related arrests, of which 63 were methamphetamine
related. That number increased in 2003 to 367 arrests, with 96 related to meth.

"The arrests are nothing to brag about," Byrd said. "But what it shows is
that we are addressing the problem."

Through the grant funding and the purchase of new equipment the Narcotics
Task Force of Jackson County is better equipped to disband methamphetamine
labs, Byrd said.

Miller said while some labs are located in houses in residential
neighborhoods many of them are in remote, hard-to-reach areas. The grants
have allowed the task force to acquire four-wheel-drive trucks and 4-wheel
ATVs that allow officers access to remote locations.

Recently, the ATVs were used to access a remote area of Jackson County
where more than 30 marijuana plants were be-ing cultivated.

Byrd said in addition to purchasing equipment, the grants also provide
funding for specialized training and overtime for officers.

Miller said the chemicals used in the cooking process in meth labs make
them dangerous and potentially explosive. For this reason, the seven
officers on the task force, along with 16 others within county
jurisdiction, have received special training.

When a lab is found, safety is the first priority, Miller said. Between
three and five officers work the scene. Each truck is equipped with field
testing equipment. The equipment trailer received in February carries
protective outerwear and gloves. But it also carries larger equipment such
as air packs with face masks, extra tanks and kits for testing the air quality.

The Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County is comprised of officers from
the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, Ocean Springs Police Department,
Pascagoula Police De-partment and Gautier Police Department.

Reporter Bonnie Fortier can be reached at bfortier@themississippipress.com.