METH PROBLEM LIKELY TO GROW IN NEW YEAR

It's expected members of the Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit will
experience more of the same in the coming year - more investigations
involving crystal methamphetamine.

DEU Director Rob Savage, who ascended to his current post last December,
said this year alone he and the four agents assigned to the DEU have worked
more than 400 felony cases - a number which not only represents a 33
percent increase over last year but consists mostly of cases involving meth.

Although Savage is pleased with the number of cases the Unit has worked
this year, he said the upturn in their caseload represents how widespread
the meth problem has become.

"It's a situation where we're pleased with some of the in-roads we've been
able to make, but at the same time, the numbers are indicative the problem
still appears to be on the increase," Savage said.

When he chose to become the new director for the DEU, Savage said he came
into the post with his "eyes wide open" in regard to the meth problem in
Marshall County. In fact, he and District Attorney Steve Marshall discussed
the three priorities Marshall had for the Drug Unit - one of which was
tackling the meth problem.

"We talked about what he expected from the Drug Unit and addressing this
issue was at the top of his list," Savage said.

Savage, a veteran of the United States Army who previously worked in law
enforcement in Ohio as well as an investigator for the Guntersville Police
Department and the Marshall County District Attorney's Office, said meth is
one of the biggest problems he's encountered during his tenure as a member
of law enforcement.

One of the things which makes meth a unique problem is that it affects all
aspects of a community, he said.

"No one part of our society is exempt from this. We've seen it in broken
homes and good homes, and encountered users who don't work as well as
people who have relatively stable employment," Savage said.

In addition, meth is a drug which doesn't just affect those who are using
it. "It impacts each and every one of us on a daily basis," Savage said.

He points outs that a majority of the burglaries committed in the county
can be traced back to meth as well as other crimes such as shoplifting and
assault. And, meth labs pose a serious risk to those living near them both
because of the toxic chemicals used to cook the product as well as the
volatility of the concoction which is highly explosive.

Savage also shared that because of the damage meth does to the bodies and
minds of those who use it, taxpayers will most likely be saddled with the
cost of providing long-term care for abusers.

Additionally, children born into families or raised in families where meth
is prevalent are particularly impacted by the drug. Savage said he is
continually seeing more and more cases where children are removed from
homes by the Department of Human Resources because of the presence of meth.

Addressing the meth problem, Savage said, has to be a collaborative effort
undertaken by many members of the community. It is something law
enforcement simply cannot do alone, he said.

"No one entity can solve this problem," Savage said.

To just curb the problem, Savage said it will take work from specific areas
such as parents and educators, treatment specialists and counselors, and
law enforcement and the courts as well as other aspects of society such as
businesses and industries.

The Marshall County Methamphetamine Task Force, a group comprised of
educators, business people, clergy members, law enforcement, members of the
media and treatment specialists, was formed last year to work on addressing
meth and the problems it poses for Marshall County.

Marshall, who is responsible for the creation of the task force, said plans
are to next month begin implementing the task force's recommendations for
curbing the problem.

It is his hope the recommendations, which include a mentor program for
youth, assisting businesses in establishing drug screening programs and
seeking help from retailers in identifying potential meth users and
traffickers, "will make a lot of progress toward assisting in decreasing
the number of people using the drug."

"That's why this (coming) year is an exciting one because we're going to
try and see what kind of impact these programs will make. It won't happen
overnight, but we expect to see things happen," Marshall said.

While Savage and Marshall both expect to see an increase in the number of
cases involving meth, they are also worried the money they receive to fight
this war will decrease. Finding funds to continue the battle against
crystal methamphetamine will be a trying challenge in the new year - one
which could result in not so good news for those on the front lines.