METH CASES FILL UP JAILS, COURTROOMS

Law enforcement across Yuma County spends countless hours and
manpower fighting the problems that meth creates.

Yuma Police Department spokesman Clint Norred said local meth use has
become such a problem that it has put a tremendous strain on law enforcement.

"Not only do you have dangerous and unstable people on it, we spend
hundreds of hours investigating meth-related crimes such as burglary
and thefts. It's a really terrible drug, and we make meth-related
arrests daily."

Norred called meth a "stepping-stone" drug that often leads to a
multitude of constant crimes, some of which become violent crimes.

"It's highly addictive and can throw a normal productive person's
life into a very bad spiral," Norred said. "Meth users will try to
trade or sell the things they steal to buy their drugs."

But there is more then the "constant crimes" and drug use to worry
about, Norred said. There is also the concern over the chemicals
involved in the production of the drug.

He added that meth can be made relatively easily using some common
products and can pose some serious safety concerns due to chemical
contamination.

"It involves some very unstable chemicals," Norred said. "A lot of
these labs don't have the safety precautions, so they pose a real
danger to law enforcement and the community."

Capt. Eben Bratcher of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office expressed
similar concerns, saying meth-related crimes are also one of the
biggest demands on service calls from his office.

"Directly or indirectly, it's got to be the the No. 1 demand, or if
not, it has to be a close No. 2," Bratcher said. "Personally, I think
it's the most dangerous drug in existence."

Bratcher said he estimates that 75 percent of all the cases his
office investigates are associated to meth use in some way. He added
that the Yuma County jail probably spends millions of dollars a year
to incarcerate individuals involved in meth-related crimes.

"You are literally talking about tens of thousands of dollars in
manpower to investigate and solve these cases," Bratcher said about
the real cost due to the drug's use locally. "And your tax dollar is
having to pay for it."

While he thinks the drug laws are sufficient, Bratcher said, he
thinks substance abuse education and awareness is the most practical
approach to solving the county's meth problem.

"Education is important. If treatment isn't done early, it probably
isn't going to be very effective," Bratcher said. "If you wait for
the warning signs, it's probably going to be too late. If you don't
catch them before the first time or just after the first time, you
may lose them because the drug is so addictive."

Yuma County Attorney Jon Smith, who estimates that 70 percent of the
cases his office prosecutes involve meth use in some way, went on to
say studies have shown that violent crimes have increased as a direct
result of the use of meth.

Only in effect for a short time, Smith said, it's still too early to
tell whether the newly passed Proposition 301 will have an impact on
the number of methamphetamine-related cases his office has to prosecute.

The get-tough measure allows judges to sentence first- and
second-time meth offenders to prison or jail instead of mandatory
probation and drug counseling, the way it was previously under the law.

Members of the Yuma County Methamphetamine Nucleus Group attended a
summit held by the governor in January to help identify problems and
combat the drug's use.

"We know there is a meth problem, we just need a direction to take,"
Smith said. "Some of the goals with our local group were a need to
have a greater outreach to our community, identify the available
resources and to better identify the issues and concerns that are
unique to our area."

Smith said the nucleus group, which will meet again next month, is
using similar techniques that it learned at the summit to help
address the county's drug problem.