Pubdate: Wed, 07 May 2003
Source: Sun Herald (MS)
Copyright: 2003, The Sun Herald
Contact:  http://www.sunherald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432
Author: Shelia Hardwell Byrd /The Associated Press

CHILDREN ARE OFTEN FORGOTTEN VICTIMS OF METH ABUSERS

JACKSON - Narcotics agent Jeff Killion says the scene of methamphetamine 
lab busts involving children reminds him of conditions in Third World 
countries.

"Lots of dirty diapers. Cockroaches. Food has been laying there out in the 
open for days on end. Horrendous odors," he said, adding that the children 
have "that far-off look in their eye and bugs crawling on them."

Killion and dozens of other law enforcement officials and Department of 
Human Services social workers were in Jackson on Tuesday for a conference 
focusing on how to better protect drug endangered children.

Children are the forgotten victims of America's war on drugs, said Sue 
Webber-Brown, an investigator in the Butte County, Calif., district 
attorney's office who started one of the nation's first drug-endangered 
child programs.

She showed the group a film depicting true cases of children who had been 
tortured or killed by meth users. Brown said keeping children from being 
harmed would require a team effort by social workers, law enforcement 
officers, the medical community and educators.

Brown also stressed sharing information among agencies.

Killion acknowledged narcotics agents in the past have been reluctant to 
divulge details of an ongoing investigation.

"It's the real world. They shoot real bullets," Killion said. "Somebody 
leaks the wrong information, we're going to die going through the door."

He said law enforcement agencies need to let social workers know when a 
bust is going to take place so they'll be on hand to remove any children 
who are present.

That means additional training for social workers, who may find themselves 
on the premises of a potentially explosive site.

The substances used to create methamphetamine - ammonia, drain cleaner, 
battery acid and antifreeze - and the production process are highly volatile.

Wanda Gillom, deputy director of DHS' family and children division, said 
she's concerned about the growing number of meth cases involving children, 
thereby affecting social workers.

In 2002, 64 children were associated with methamphetamine lab 
investigations in Mississippi, according to MBN statistics.

"We try to attend conferences that talk about this, but this is the biggest 
training that we can ever have," Gillom said of this week's conference. "I 
have a lot of our social workers here today."

Killion has begun training some of the state's more than 300 social 
workers. They're schooled on what signs to look for if a person is under 
the influence of meth or what precursors to the drug might be present.

The next big push will be for tougher laws, he said.

"If you sell dope around a child, there's no penalty enhancement right 
now," Killion said. "We have to work with the Legislature on all sorts of 
deals to try to strengthen our laws."
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