Pubdate: Wed, 04 Oct 2006 Source: Journal Standard, The (Freeport, IL) Copyright: 2006 The Journal Standard Contact: http://www.journalstandard.com/forms/letters/ Website: http://www.journalstandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3182 Author: Diana Roemer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) FEDERAL GRANT HELPS COUNTIES FIGHT METH, OTHER DRUGS FREEPORT - Law enforcement officials say the release of more than $5 million in federal money to fight methamphetamine abuse and its manufacture in Illinois will provide a much-needed boost to regional anti-drug efforts. The $5.3 million grant will be distributed to 66 Illinois counties, state officials announced recently. Stephenson and Winnebago counties will get $119,996 in enforcement unit grants, which will be channeled through the Stateline Area Narcotics Team (SLANT). The joint unit conducts undercover sting and other drug investigations in Stephenson, Winnebago and Boone counties. Carroll and Jo Daviess Counties, meanwhile, will receive $69,579 for the Blackhawk Area Task Force. The focus of the grant funding, according to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose office distributes the money, is to curtail methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that is easily manufactured from household chemicals and medicine. The process also creates toxic waste and debris, which poses a hazard to those living near a meth operation; as well as to the authorities who investigate and clean it up. In Jo Daviess County in 2006, more meth-related charges - eight - were filed in circuit courts than in Stephenson or Carroll counties. The most recent case in Stephenson County involved one arrest for meth in 2005, authorities said, adding that meth is still not a primary drug of abuse in the county. They say they expect the drug to surface more in the near future. "It's not here because the drugs of choice here are still cocaine, heroin and marijuana," Snyders said. Interim Jo Daviess County Sheriff Brian Melton said local efforts to fight the methamphetamine problem rely not only on grants for funding, but on forfeitures of property used in the commission of drug crimes. "Our drug interdiction unit has been very effective recently, closing down several meth labs and those distributing this destructive drug," Melton said. According to online Federal Drug Enforcement Administration records, arrests for methamphetamine have decreased nationwide from 8,163 in 2000 to 5,693 in 2005. That's good news for the Stephenson County Sheriff's Department, where Sheriff Dave Snyders said funding cuts in recent years have resulted in the elimination of 12 deputies, including some who primarily investigated drug cases. Most drug arrests by Stephenson County deputies occur during traffic stops, he said, and tips are referred to other agencies to investigate, he said. Snyders said SLANT also works with Freeport police on local drug investigations. "We have not had anyone from the sheriff's office actively working drugs since 2001 or 2002 because of mandatory layoffs," Snyders said. "We are making drug arrests, yes, but there is no staff actively working drug crimes," Snyders said. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments. It was created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to provide funds to states and local governments, improve functioning of the criminal justice system and enhance drug control efforts. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin