STATEWIDE METH CAMPAIGN BEGINS

State and local law enforcement agencies are teaming up with retailers and
the public in a statewide campaign against the continually growing problem
of methamphetamine production.

The program is called the Tennessee MethWatch Program.

"We're trying to educate the public," said McMinn County Sheriff Steve
Frisbie. 'It's a team made up of everybody."

Gov. Phil Bredesen said his office has entered a partnership with the Drug
Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the
Tennessee Police Chiefs Association, the Tennessee Retail Association and
the Tennessee Sheriff's Association to create the program.

State officials say the program will help connect the community with its
sheriff's department and police departments.

"Meth abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in Tennessee, particularly in
rural communities," Bredesen said in a news release.

"We're working with lawmakers to develop a comprehensive effort to address
the problem, but the MethWatch program represents a critical first step.
The only way to truly address the problem is to get everyone working
together - from the TBI to local law enforcement officials, from retailers
to citizens."

Frisbie said the program is complete with a hot line for anyone who
believes they've seen suspicious activity related to meth.

The MethWatch program combines a public information campaign with an
intelligence collection system, centering around a 24-hour TBI meth hot
line, according to Bredesen's office.

The number, 1-877-TNN-METH (877-866-6384), is intended to provide a simple,
cost-effective way of deterring meth manufacturing, while at the same time
gathering valuable information on suspicious activities.

TBI Interim Director David Griswold said similar efforts in other states
have been successful.

"The hope is that by taking the initiative statewide, existing efforts to
crack down on the production of meth can be augmented," said Griswold.

Frisbie said a better-educated public will help law enforcement across the
state.

"We get calls already from people who see something they think is
suspicious," Frisbie said of his department's continuing battle against the
drug. "We've got to have the community's involvement."

Meth still appears to be the drug of choice, "the poor man's cocaine,"
Frisbie said.

Meth production and use pose dangers not only to society as a whole, but
individuals, he said.

"Meth labs pose a danger to officers, too," Frisbie said. "There are times
officers have gotten into it before they know what it is."

Frisbie said meth is different from cocaine in what combating the problem
requires of law enforcement.

"Cocaine is much more likely to be trafficked, while meth is actually
manufactured and the process poses physical dangers to the cookers, users,
their families and neighbors," Frisbie said.

Although there have been numerous media accounts regarding meth production
and the battle against labs, Frisbie said some people still question
whether the problem is "real."

"We need to let people know the problem is not just here. It's very
widespread," the sheriff said. "The Southeast Tennessee Methamphetamine
Task Force members have not ignored the problem."

The number of methamphetamine raids and arrests made in McMinn and other
nearby counties is not an indicator that law enforcement is failing in its
enforcement efforts, Frisbie said.

"I commend this Task Force. Our officers have trained and certified. It
shows our officers are on top of things; they're dealing with it," he said
of local and regional officers along with his own deputies who are part of
the Task Force.

Frisbie said meth raids often result in time-consuming work for officers as
they process meth lab crime scenes, which can take many hours.

The cost of cleanup at a meth lab site can range from $3,000 to $7,000 a
crime scene, he said.

"We have resources from federal government grants to help cover the costs
of cleanup and overtime," said Frisbie.

The sheriff said he hopes to continue training for his officers. He said he
currently has four officers who have completed meth training, Drug Officer
B.J. Johnson, Sgt. Bill Farmer, Deputy Guy McGill and Richard Robinson.

"I'm hoping to put two more officers into training in March," Frisbie said.

In the area, members of city police departments are also members of the
Task Force, according to officials.

Frisbie said, locally, response from the public has been very helpful to
officers. He said businesses, schools and clubs have continued to request
information on meth from the sheriff's department.

"We're constantly getting calls from schools and civic groups to put on
presentations on meth," he said.