CLEANING UP THE METH

$222,222 grant should help Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force do an even
better job

The Parkersburg Police Department soon will be on the receiving end of a
$222,222 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and the money will assist
the department in an area where it has stayed busy -too busy - during the
past four years. The grant will be used by the department's Narcotics Task
Force in its seemingly never-ending battle against the manufacture and use
of methamphetamine in our area.

Parkersburg police Chief Bob Newell told the newspaper the money is a
welcome addition in this fight with no end. "I wish we had this money a long
time ago," he told the newspaper. "Better late than never."

Since its formation in 1998, the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force has broken
up 92 meth labs in our area - 50 since January - the latest being busts of
three alleged labs last week in Wirt County resulting in three arrests. As
Capt. Rick Woodyard told a Rotary Club meeting on Monday, meth is a problem
that is "not going to go away."

Fortunately for us, neither is the drug task force. The police realized in
1998 meth was becoming a serious problem in the area and decided to do
something needed to be done to counter this problem. The task force was
formed and since that time Parkersburg is one of the few police departments
in the state to have a group devoted solely to meth operations.

The task force has effectively learned how to recognize meth operations and
has successfully enlisted area businesses and residents to help recognize
the items people purchase to operate these labs. These businesses and people
have provided valuable tips that have led to several raid. The task force
also been used as a blueprint for other departments wanting to develop this
type of tool and and has participated in many raids and arrests out of our
area. The task force members are continually training as new information
becomes available, allowing them to at least keep pace with individuals who
would participate in this activity.

Meth is a cheap high and extremely dangerous. Because of the easy
availability of the ingredients needed for its manufacture, many drug users
have turned to these homemade labs for its manufacture. But because of the
toxicity and volatility of the chemicals used in the "cooking" process,
explosions can frequently occur at meth houses, endangering not only the
ones involved in the illegal activity, but innocent neighbors, as well. The
possibility of explosions is the reason the task force is always accompanied
on raids by a response team from Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital and the
Division of Environmental Protection.

Meth users are extremely dangerous because the drug induces an extreme state
of agitation and a high that can last for days. While the drug is
inexpensive to manufacture, Woodyard said the community has paid a high
price for its use through an increase in violent crime, including murder,
shoplifting and property crimes. And as the 90 busts this year indicate, the
problem is not going away.

We are lucky this area has the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force. It is a
strong line of defense between the citizens and these criminals. Because of
the group's work there are fewer meth labs in the area than there would
otherwise have been and many of these "chemists" are now serving time in
prison.

We hope this $222,222 grant allows the task force to take an even bigger
bite out of this problem.