TASK FORCE MAKES PLANS

The Marshall County Methamphetamine Task Force is gearing up to begin Phase
II of their plan to tackle the growing epidemic of drugs in the area.

A majority of the 26-member task force, comprised of members representing
various parts of the county and different aspects of the community, such as
business, health, law enforcement and education, met Friday to discuss how
they plan to implement the second phase of the project.

Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall said now is the time to
"see what this body can do to diminish the numbers we've seen."

Marshall shared that methamphetamine cases account for 70 percent of all
cases in the Marshall County court system.

Statistics Marshall provided task force members show that in 2001 Marshall
County law enforcement officers made 419 arrests of adults for possession
of illegal drugs.

Of those 419 arrests, 153 were for possession of methamphetamine while 18
were for opium/cocaine, 219 for marijuana and 29 for synthetic drugs. For
possession of methamphetamine, 417 adults were arrested in the state in
2001. Of those 417 arrests, Marshall County accounted for 153, or 37
percent of Alabama's total numbers.

"To me, that's staggering," Marshall said. If drug possession arrests
continue to be made in accordance with past instances, Marshall said the
numbers for 2002 could be even higher than those posted last year.

As a means of working to reduce those numbers, Marshall has divided the
task force members into committees focusing on various areas including
business, criminal justice/public safety, education, public
awareness/legislation, public health/social services and long-range planning.

Marshall gave the committees 90 days to report back their plans for moving
forward with Phase II. During that time, he said the committees can work to
formulate plans such as reaching out to businesses which are not currently
drug testing employees and encouraging them to do so.

He said the task force can also serve to establish a law enforcement
network through which investigators with area agencies can share
information about crimes which may be connected.

Angela Sparks, executive director of Marshall County Court Referral
Services, said it's crucial something be done to curb the use of illegal
drugs, particularly crystal meth, in Marshall County.

"We've got to stop people from going out there the first time and using,
and we've also got to be able to access those people who are using and get
them treatment because without treatment, they won't quit," she said.

Marshall commended those attending Friday's meeting for their willingness
to be a part of this task force. All but two of the members were present.

"The viability of this organization is shown through the commitment of this
committee. We have almost everyone here, and the two who are not here are
on vacation. That is evidence of how important what we are doing is. I
really believe this is where you will make the most difference," Marshall said.

The task force has already made an impact on the various communities in
Marshall County. Marshall reported that the eight meetings hosted earlier
this year by the task force were attended by over 2,000 people.

He said some meetings, such as the one in Grant, garnered almost capacity
crowds. In addition, unexpected effects resulted from the meetings.

"We had some unknown consequences occur as result of the town meetings such
as addicts coming forth. In Grant, we had a young man come forward and say
he was addicted to crystal meth and needed help. We also had people
providing information which has allowed the Drug Enforcement Unit to make
one distribution case and several possession cases," Marshall said.

The meetings by and large served their intended purpose of bringing
information to the public about crystal meth and other drugs which have
infiltrated this county.

"I think we've exposed this community to something called crystal meth.
People now where they can go to get help for themselves or for loved ones,"
Marshall said.