METH GIVES SHERIFFS HEADACHE

The sheriffs of White, Edwards and Wayne counties in Illinois all took
office for the first time on Dec. 1, 2002, and inherited a rapidly spreading
methamphetamine epidemic and steadily declining budgets.

When Doug Maier took over as White County sheriff, it seemed every class of
crime was somehow related to methamphetamine. Since taking office, Maier and
his five deputies have made more than 100 drug arrests, many of them for
methamphetamine. "Meth takes up so much of our manpower," Maier said. "Our
small towns now have a meth problem, including Crossville - my hometown -
it's not limited to the bigger towns anymore."

With two sergeants and three deputies to cover more than 500 square miles of
territory, Maier says he needs more manpower, but doesn't see additional
funding in the future.

"The Sheriff's Department budget is $416,000 this year, which is about
$130,000 less than it was last year," Maier said. "By being fiscally
responsible, we've been able to cut expenses and maintain services."

White County's Jail has a separate operating budget. This year's budget
amounts to $748,000. By housing out-of-county prisoners and some federal
inmates, the jail is able to generate about $600,000 a year in revenue.
However, skyrocketing medical expenses for inmates and the rising cost to
house juveniles keep the jail budget in the red, Maier said.

On the positive side, Maier says his department's relationship with the
prosecution side of law enforcement couldn't be better. "The State's
Attorney (Kerry Sutton) and I are on the same page, and with that kind of
relationship, everyone benefits," Maier said. Maier added that the threat of
federal prosecution often results in quick guilty pleas and swift sentences.

Edwards County Sheriff Scott Messerole has one of the smallest counties in
the state to cover, with a population of less than 7,000. Unfortunately, the
growing meth problem is putting a strain on an already short staff.

"Right now we have me, two road deputies and a school resource officer,"
Messerole said. "When I went from deputy to sheriff, the county cut one
full-time deputy's position, put restrictions on our part-timers, and
eliminated overtime."

Messerole sees tougher times ahead, as two of his deputies are currently
being paid through state and federal grants - money that won't always be
there.

"With only one officer working at a time, it's difficult to work a lot of
meth cases," Messerole said. "Now they're cooking their dope in rural areas,
and using four-wheelers to get around."

County officials recently curtailed the use of auxiliary police officers
because of liability problems.

Messerole is even more frustrated with Illinois' prison system. "It seems
like some of these defendants beat us back home from the prison," Messerole
said. "The state claims the prisons are overcrowded, but there are still
prisons sitting empty - I just don't get it."

This year's budget amounts to about $223,000. Messerole expects little more
than a cost-of-living increase in next year's budget.

In Wayne County, Sheriff Sonny McCulley's department is responsible for
patrolling the very heart of Southeastern Illinois' meth trade. With 720
square miles of territory to patrol, McCulley's department is made up of
himself, a chief deputy, one detective and five patrol deputies.

Since McCulley took office on Dec. 1, his officers have made 121 drug
arrests, conducted 38 search warrants, and requested an Illinois State
Police hazardous materials cleanup crew for meth labs 20 times.

In Wayne County's fleet of patrol vehicles, only two cruisers have less than
100,000 miles. McCulley's budget amounts to $470,000 this year. Next year's
budget will go up about $65,000 with the hiring of two new deputies who will
take over patrol duties for the village of Wayne City. These new officers
won't start police academy training until January, and won't begin patrol
duties until March.

McCulley says his greatest complaint in the fight against meth is the light
sentences drug defendants seem to be getting in Wayne County. "We're not
seeing long sentences. Every day, I hear inmates say that if they can lay up
in the county jail long enough, they can go to Hillsboro (prison) for 61
days and come home," McCulley said. "Seems like most of the drug sentences
we're seeing are 18 months to no more than three years."

The Wayne County Jail was built to house 32 inmates. On Friday, the census
was 29. In the past few months, as many as 54 prisoners were being housed.

With a declining tax base and a loss of state revenue, McCulley says he
doesn't see much financial help coming in the near future. "Our costs will
continue to rise, and layoffs aren't an option," McCulley said. "It may be
time the county considers a small sales tax to fund law enforcement."
Neighboring Jefferson County recently implemented a cent sales tax. "In
Jefferson County, everyone pays to support law enforcement - even the dopers
who go to the store to buy the fixins' for their next batch of dope."