DRUG TASK FORCE WANTS MORE STAFF

Putnam Deputy Says Demands On Unit High

Tuesday December 17, 2002; 10:45 AM The Putnam County Narcotics Task Force
has shut down 13 methemphetamine labs this year -- more than any other
year. But Chief Deputy John Dailey of the Sheriff's Department believes the
task force can be even more effective if it had more officers.

The task force is made up of four deputies and one agent from the Drug
Enforcement Agency. Dailey points to Wood County's unit as an example of
what Putnam's could be.

Wood County's unit -- the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force -- includes
deputies, state troopers and officers from the city of Parkersburg. So far
this year, the seven-man unit has shutdown a state-high of 57 labs.

Wood County Chief Deputy C.J. Johnson said the unit doesn't use any special
techniques to find meth labs. It is just a lot of hard work and standard
police investigation.

"Most of the labs are either from people the task force has been watching
or coming from informants or neighbors that notice something," Johnson said.

Dailey said that if the sheriff's department had better cooperation from
other Putnam law enforcement departments, Putnam's drug unit could find
more meth labs. Putnam County, however, does not have any cities with large
police forces like Parkersburg. The largest city in the county, Hurricane,
dropped out of the task force July 1 due to budget problems.

"We couldn't afford the manpower and the dollars it was costing us at the
time," said Hurricane Police Chief L.D. Foster.

Hurricane was spending $100,000 to contribute two officers to the task
force. The department could no longer afford to send two officers all
around the county to look for drugs. Hurricane now has one detective and
two canine units primarily assigned to tracking drugs in the city. They
have found six meth labs this year, Foster said.

Other city police departments in the county, like Winfield, are too small
to contribute to the task force, Dailey said.

"They've only got one or two full-time officers in the other departments,"
he said. "They can't spare anyone. They are just trying to cover their city."

Even though the task force has busted more meth labs than any other year,
Dailey believes it isn't putting a large dent in the problem. More meth
labs are being discovered because there are more meth labs in the county,
he said.

"I don't think they are working any harder. There is just more crime in the
county right now," Dailey said. "I don't know what else to do. We work as
hard as we can but there is an abundance of work right now."

Wood County has the same problem, Johnson said.

"I think they are putting a pretty good hit on them but when we catch two
or three, two or three more crop up to take their place," Johnson said.