CITY TO RAISE METH AWARENESS

Raising community awareness of the problem with methamphetamines, or
meth, was the subject of Monday's meeting of the Winchester Public
Safety Committee.

Posters like the one shown will be appearing in participating stores
to motivate employees and customers to watch for people buying
excessive amounts of the products used to create meth. The posters
list the ingredients to watch for, such as cold pills containing
ephedrine, drain cleaner, matches, acetone, muriatic acid and others
along with showing the products in full color. The posters are being
created through a partnership between the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation, the Tennessee Sheriffs Association, the Tennessee
Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Tennessee Retail Marketers
Association. Winchester Public Safety Director Dennis Young said that
they would be creating labels to add the Franklin County Crimestoppers
Hotline (962-INFO) to the posters. Encouraging employees to "be
smart", these new posters say to watch for customers who are either
frequently buying these same products, or are buying large quantities
of the several of the items used in meth production and to either
inform the store manager or call the Crimestoppers Hotline.

The posters should arrive in stores around Winchester by the end of
January. Another effort to heighten public knowledge of the problem,
the Public Safety Committee is planning a town meeting entitled, "Meth
and the Effect on Children", to be held at First Baptist Church in
Winchester set tentatively for Saturday, Jan. 31. Cindy Kilpatrick
with the Franklin County Department of Children Services will be the
keynote speaker, describing what it's like for children living in an
environment containing meth, or in a lab creating meth. The meeting
will also include slides showing the products used in making the
illicit drug, how children are affected, and before and after pictures
of meth users.

The Public Safety Department wants to give the youth of
Franklin County a drug-free environment in which to have fun with
their friends. The Estill Springs Church of the Nazarene has agreed to
work with Public Safety to begin organizing some chaperoned youth
activities such as concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, game
nights, athletic events, and other organized activities designed for
physical, personal, and spiritual growth. The Nazarene Church has
obtained a building at 1910 Sharp Springs Rd., just behind Wal-Mart in
Winchester, which is to become an area Youth Center where these events
will take place, and the Public Safety department has $5,000 in grant
money to put toward this effort. The Youth Center is still in the
planning stages, but Public Safety and the Nazarene Church are anxious
to provide a positive alternative to the youth of Franklin County.

METH INGREDIENTS-These posters will soon be seen in business around
Winchester in an effort to motivate employees and customers to watch
for people buying excessive amounts of the products used to create
methamphetamines. The posters list the ingredients to watch for, such
as cold pills containing ephedrine, drain cleaner, matches, acetone,
muriatic acid and others and they show the products as well in full
color. The Franklin County Crimestoppers Hotline (962-INFO) will be
added to the posters before they are posted at participating
businesses around Winchester.