IT'S TIME TO GET TOUGH ON METH USE

Burglary, theft, assault, DUI, child abuse, domestic violence - these are
just a few of the crimes related to drug use.

Payson has more than its fair share of such crimes, many of which are on
the rise - and directly related to the use, sale and manufacture of
methamphetamine.

Chief Gordon Gartner has "drawn a line in the sand" by asking the Payson
Town Council Thursday to assist his department financially in its efforts
to choke out the problem.

The police department is in the attack mode, having created a six- month
aggressive, six-month enhanced-enforcement program to deal with the town's
meth-related woes. Gartner is requesting $51,000 from the council
contingency fund to finance a short-term battle.

The chief plans to increase his efforts to impact the meth problem by
assigning two full-time Special Enforcement Officers. Enforcement will
include a repeat offender program with enhanced penalties; reward money for
informants; overtime for predicted workload increase; surveillance and
drug-testing equipment and training not only for the officers, but for
utilization by employers and civic organizations to educate Rim country
residents about methamphetamine.

Daisy Gilker, the newly-appointed county attorney, has thrown her
department's support behind Chief Gartner.

Yesterday, Gilker announced that as of March 1, she will aggressively
prosecute all drug cases as they come across her desk. One hoped-for result
is that there will be no more waiting for lab results - which can drag
court cases out for months - while suspects flee, leaving their victims behind.

We urge the Payson Town Council to throw their support - and their funds -
behind Chief Gartner in his effort to gain control of the illegal drug
trade in Payson.