ALBERTVILLE CHIEF SAYS OFFICER TRAINING BEHIND INCREASED DRUG ARRESTS

ALBERTVILLE - The Albertville Police Department is making more drug
arrests, and it's not only because drug traffic has increased. It's also
because the officers are better trained to spot drug offenses, Albertville
acting Police Chief Benny Womack said.

"Over the last three years we have increased our training for drug
interdiction for patrol officers," Womack said. "About 95 percent of the
drug arrests (in Albertville) that are passed on to the Marshall County
Drug Enforcement Unit are made by our patrol officers. That's where a lot
of information is gained."

When a patrol officer finds illegal drug activity, he generally calls the
DEU in to investigate.

Womack said Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit Director Rob Savage gave
a report to the DEU board of directors at its last meeting. During one
month, most of the DEU cases were in the Albertville police jurisdiction,
Womack said.

Last summer, four crystal methamphetamine labs were discovered in
Albertville within a three-week period, and those discoveries owed much to
information gathered by patrol officers.

"Anytime you give an officer better training it energizes him and gives him
tools and resources to do his job better," Womack said. "We know and have
known the problem for years here, but it has increased, and officers pay
attention to that, too. They pay attention to the drug traffic on the street.

"They have certainly been made more aware of the continuing problem we have
with crystal methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution.

"When you're dealing with narcotics issues, we're also dealing with other
issues such as domestic violence, thefts, burglaries and DUIs."

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service Web site offers statistics
that link the commission of crimes to suspects looking for drug money.

"In 1998 an estimated 61,000 convicted jail inmates said they had committed
their offense to get money for drugs," according to the site. "Of convicted
property and drug offenders, about one in four had committed their crimes
to get money for drugs."

Countywide, the number of arrests by the Marshall County Drug Enforcement
Unit has increased, and the percentage of crystal meth cases in the total
caseload has increased.

During the first four months of 2001, the DEU worked 129 cases, 69 percent
of which were crystal meth, DEU Director Rob Savage said. During the first
four months of this year, the DEU worked 158 cases, and 84 percent of those
were crystal meth cases.

"Basically, for each month this year compared to last year, meth seizures
have doubled," Savage said. "We are focusing more on mid-level and
upper-level dealers. Those cases take a little longer, but result in bigger
seizures."