By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-949013.mp3
Bowling Green, KY – Kentucky law enforcement busted 1,060 meth labs in Kentucky last year. That's over 300 more than in 2009. More meth labs means more police investigations, and more stress on the state's law enforcement officers. As Angela Hatton reports, manpower restrictions and inconsistent funding means police in western Kentucky continue to play catch-up.
The Kenutcky State Police's Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations unit historically was tasked with investigating mid and upper level drug dealers, political corruption, and white collar crimes. That primary mission changed in 2006. Detective Louie Weber works out of the unit's western branch.
"We were so overwhelmed with meth labs and responding to meth labs our whole mission statement kind of abruptly changed and all we were dealing with was meth labs at that time."
Investigating a meth lab often means overtime. The KSP estimates the cost of cleaning up one meth lab at a little over two thousand dollars. That includes investigation, cleanup, materials, and disposal. Most of that is paid for by the squad's regular budget. But cleaning up a meth lab can take eight hours, which may be on top of an officer's regular eight hour day.
"As far as on the state level we're working on compensory time, or C-time. Of course, we're allotted so many C-hours a month, and y'know if we get over a certain amount of C-time, we're required by our policy, y'know that we have to take off."
Weber says that means they can't respond to as many meth complaints. The KSP relies on federal grants to pay for an officer's overtime. The department draws those funds from allocations the fed gives to the state Justice and Public Safety Department. In the past few years, the KSP's allocation for meth overtime has been going down. In Fiscal Year 2009, the KSP received approximately 250,000 dollars; in 2010, 230,000; and in 2011, 182,000 dollars.
"We're anticipating having very little operating money for this next operating year."
One reason the KSP is seeing a decline in funds could be because many of the grants rely on formulas, which allocate money based on population size and crime statistics. The stats in western Kentucky have changed. Kentucky Office of Drug Policy Director Van Ingram says the meth problem is migrating east. Ingram says in western Kentucky, the number of meth labs has gone down.
"I looked at lab responses for counties like Henderson County, which in 2008 had seventeen meth lab responses. This year that's down to 10. Muhlenberg had 13 in 2007, they had 6 six 2008 and 6 in 2010."
Ingram pushes a positive view of western Kentucky's meth statistics.
"Well, I certainly can't tell you exactly what the cause and effect of why the numbers are dropping. But you can look and see the tremendous amount of education that's been done in the west, education of law enforcement, education of first responders, education of the public, of retail establishments. There's been a lot, a lot of work done in many communities."
Detective Weber doesn't see it that way.
"But we're still finding labs in western Kentucky. We're still getting complaints daily, still cleaning up and responding to dump sites daily. Meth labs are still out there. And the numbers don't lie as far as the number of meth labs out there."
Weber says smaller meth labs are the trend. These so-called "one-pot" or "shake and bake" methods require fewer steps in the drug-making process. Makers use empty plastic soda bottles to produce personal supplies. More meth labs equal more cost for cleanup. In 2010, KSP estimated the total cost at over two million dollars. Another concern for those like Weber who respond to calls, more meth labs, even small ones, mean greater chance for something to go wrong.
"One quart of ether, which is a solvent that's used in the majority of meth labs, and is extracted from starting fluid cans. One quart of ether has the exploding power of a stick of dynamite."
There have been no police injuries related to meth labs. Weber says the KSP offer a free 40-hour meth training course for local law enforcement and state officers. Kentucky developed its own training in 2002, another reactive step. Officers were making meth busts, but very few were certified to properly handle meth chemicals. Weber says they've certified a little over 280 officers since the program began in 2003. But even those officers with special training are pulling double duty.
"We have so many other job responsibilities that we can't dedicate a team or a group of people to just to sit down and track meth labs, and track, y'know who we're going to bust next for a meth lab or where it's going to come up or things of that nature."
Weber says the general public has helped find an increasing number of labs, as they become better educated on the topic.
Weber calls the increase in meth lab busts a double edged sword. More criminals are getting off the street and behind bars. But Weber adds that isn't deterring meth makers from putting themselves and others in danger.
Legislation before the Kentucky General Assembly this session would make pseudoephredrine, the key ingredient in meth, a prescription-only drug. Weber and the Kentucky State Police strongly support the bill. Similar legislation in Mississippi is promising. A report this month from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety shows six months after implementation, the measure has reduced meth lab busts 68 percent. The KSP hope the Commonwealth can see the same.
Meth Lab Warning Signs Courtesy Detective Louie Weber, KSP DESI West
People going outside to smoke at a property
Windows blacked out
Unusual chemical smells, like ammonia
Discarded trash in the woods that includes bottles with tubing coming out of the top, gas cans with hosing duct taped onto them, or coffee filters with red powder residue
Discarded propane tanks
If you notice these signs at a property, call law enforcement.