MANHOURS

Editor's note: This is the second in a series regarding the illegal drug
known as methamphetamine. The narcotics officers interviewed have all been
given alias names, as have those who were directly involved in the
manufacture or use of meth.

"An alert bank clerk started a chain of investigations that resulted in
several arrests, the closure of a meth lab, and the clearing up of at least
one other forgery investigation." -- Herald Democrat, August 2002.

How many law enforcement man-hours go into closing down a methamphetamine lab?

According to Grayson County Sheriff Keith Gary, it took 475 man-hours to
shut down one particularly large and far-reaching operation in the
Collinsville area.

"That's nearly 11 weeks of deputy time," Gary said, adding, that's only one
agency's involvement. And, he said, the federal government is now charging
every one of the same people, which will add more deputy and officer time
to the case.

Jack, a Grayson County Sheriff's Office narcotics agent, said the answer to
that is as varied as the number of meth labs closed down. Even when the
cell door is slammed shut on a suspect, the man-hours aren't by any means
complete. The simplest arrests, searches and seizures tie up time in the
arresting agency before advancing to the Grayson County Attorney's Office
for prosecution.

It starts with a tip, which Jack said can come many sources. A police
officer or deputy makes a traffic stop and gathers some information, which
he forwards to narcotics officers. Or, a store clerk drops a dime, moments
after someone buys all the kitchen matches in the store. A garbage
collector finds a discarded trash bag on the side of the road.

"Tips come from citizen complainants, confidential informants, somebody
we've arrested, other crooks," Jack added.

Sometimes it takes a matter of minutes before officers can gather enough
probable cause to ask a magistrate for a search warrant. Other times, it's
days or weeks before they can go with paper in hand to the suspected site.

"It's important to get all the ducks in a row, so it'll stand up in court,"
said Walter, an Oklahoma narcotics agent.

Serving The Warrant

When the search warrant is ready, what next? A team of officers serves that
warrant. "We try to have twice as many officers with us as we believe there
are people at the house," Jack said. Sometimes, those ratios swell to 5-1,
depending on information depicting the potential of weapons or violence. To
accomplish that, law enforcement agencies help each other, creating a task
force that, locally, usually includes Grayson County SO, Denison PD,
Sherman PD, Department of Public Safety, and sometimes helped by U.S.
Marshal Service and Drug Enforcement Agency officers.

Grayson County SO and Sherman PD have special response teams that often
suit up for entry into a suspected lab site. "We've had to upgrade
equipment," Jack said. "At one lab, hydrogen chloride gas sent everyone out
hacking and gagging." Grayson County SO purchased equipment so the SRT can
now get inside, secure the scene, and then get right back out, he explained.

"Once inside, the risks depend on suspects' actions." Jack explained. If
officers go in, find a suspect holding a bottle of fluid and he charges
toward them, shots could ring out. If the suspect stands still or places
the bottle down, the officers don't feel as threatened. "It's not unusual
for them to mix their chemicals and cause a booby trap and a hazardous
chemical exposure situation for a block in any direction."

If they find an operational methamphetamine lab inside, there is a minimum
of eight hours for each team member to do all that needs to be done, Jack
said. "Searching, collecting evidence, waiting on a disposal crew,
transporting suspects to jail." Every item in every trash bag is removed
and examined, storage rooms emptied out. Computers, cell phones, weapons,
note pads -- the list of potential evidence is endless.

Back at the office, more tedious work waits. It takes time to package the
seized meth for analysis, usually at a Dallas DPS forensics laboratory. Two
officers travel together to the lab. Someone else compares serial or
license numbers on seized weapons, cars, or other items on computerized
databases of stolen items.

Next comes the paperwork. A complete report is prepared and then given to
the County Attorney's Office, which may return the report for more
information. Back and forth files go, until the case is ready to submit to
a grand jury. Only one agent goes before the grand jury.

Pre-trial meetings are sometimes required of the agents. Then, if it goes
to trial, "We'll all be subpoenaed." Jack spoke of spending days waiting
for his turn to testify, and said that every agent involved in the arrest
can spend the same amount of time.

Seizures

Texas laws allow law enforcement to take possession of cash and property
found at drug scenes. The proceeds must be applied to the fight against drugs.

"In one case, we seized thousands of dollars at the crime scene." In
finding out the man and his wife both had jobs, which they verified through
the Texas Workforce Commission, they looked at the suspect's bank account
and found a number of almost-daily deposits in round figures, none of which
were traceable to any legal income. So, they also seized $14,000 out of his
bank account.

Training Hours

Narcotics officers spend a lot of time in training. Clandestine lab
certification class - 40 hours; site safety officer training - 32 hours;
narcotics investigator school - 80 hours; asset forfeiture school - 8
hours; DEA commander course - 40 hours. There are DEA tactical clandestine
lab entry courses, interdiction certifications, field sobriety test
classes. Some agents are deputy U.S. marshals and DEA organized criminal
drug enforcement task force members, allowing them extended jurisdiction.

Most narcotics agents are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Three
Grayson deputies accumulated more than 2,200 hours combined compensatory
time in about two years.

"As far as I know, nobody has been able to make narcotics jobs into 8-5
work," Sheriff Gary said. "If a lab is reported or found, we have to go.
We're trying very hard to manage it as closely as possible."