Pubdate: 13 Nov, 1999 Source: Tulsa World (OK) Copyright: 1999, World Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.tulsaworld.com/ Author: The Associated Press FUNDS TO HELP TULSA CUT DRUG LABS TULSA -- Tulsa police plan to use $216,541 in federal funds to eliminate or reduce the number of clandestine drug labs operating in the city, it was announced Friday. Police Chief Ron Palmer said the money will be used to buy safety equipment and train officers about investigation and cleanup of illegal methamphetamine labs. The labs are a growing problem in the city and across the state. "We also want to warn and educate retailers in the area that sell ingredients to methamphetamine about what to do if they have a person coming in wanting to buy large quantities of those ingredients," he said. The $215,541 is the largest portion of $1.2 million in Local Law Enforcement Block Grant money that Palmer and Mayor Susan Savage announced Friday. The funded programs are being administered by the Tulsa Police Department, Urban Development, Park Department and Municipal Court. Palmer said some funding will to go to continue programs that have proved successful, such as Operation Nite-Lite and the Ministerial Coalition, Palmer said. In Operation Nite-Lite, which went into effect last fall, Tulsa police officers and Tulsa County sheriff's deputies go with probation officers from the Juvenile Bureau District Court to make unannounced visits to the homes of probationers. The targets are between the ages of 14 and 22. The goal is to hold the youths to the terms of their probation and attempt to prevent crimes. That program will be allocated $125,000. The Ministerial Coalition will be given $15,000 for officers' salaries, daily operations, training, recruitment and crime prevention materials. The Child Abuse Network is getting $104,826 for teams that conduct child abuse investigations. Those teams include police, prosecutors, state Department of Human Service workers and medical professionals. Other grant amounts include $85,000 for automating the police records management system; $55,000 for gun court for a court program to reduce firearm offenses by juveniles; $100,000 for education on mental health for law enforcement and case management workers; $100,000 to teach parenting skills to incarcerated women, and $6,545 for security lighting, intercom and security cameras for high crime areas. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder