INCREASED DRUG-RELATED CRIME BURDENS RURAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

The tidal wave of methamphetamine labs that washed over Southeast Missouri leaves more than just hazardous waste and destruction of lives in its wake. The illegal drug, its increased consumption and production have created an abundance of other problems for sheriffs in Southeast Missouri.

Over the past few years, domestic abuse, child abuse, burglaries and shootings have increased proportionately to the meth plight in the region. Missouri ranks second only to California in the number of methamphetamine labs seized last year. The problem is one Missourians are still trying to understand and control.

For every lab seized, area law enforcement officers say there are that many or more in operation. But the job isn't simple.

"Meth is everywhere," said Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell. "For the number of labs that are busted, there are probably five times as many that aren't caught."

The reason isn't because law enforcement officers aren't working; they are working but on other cases.

Most sheriffs say the answer to curbing meth is simple but requires more money. They need more deputies to investigate meth cases and make arrests.

Deputies must work quickly to follow up on tips they receive about possible meth labs. Because of the accessibility and portability of ingredients, a meth lab can be moved with ease.

Of the 30 deputies employed by the Scott County sheriff, about one-third patrol the 444 square miles inhabited by nearly 40,000 people. The same percentage holds true in Butler County, where eight deputies patrol an 800-square-mile area.

"I could bust a meth lab a day if I had enough officers," Ferrell said. He would like for more departments to create a narcotics unit devoted to investigating drug crimes full time.

If sheriffs' departments don't start devoting their resources to curbing the drug problem, things could run rampant, said agent Carlos Kerley of the Bootheel Drug Task Force, which operates in Pemiscot, Dunklin and parts of New Madrid counties in Missouri's Bootheel.

Just because meth has become a problem doesn't mean that other crimes come to a halt. "We can't refuse to go to a call just because we're working on a meth bust," Ferrell said.

Sometimes routine calls can turn into a meth tip. When investigating a child-neglect complaint in Scott County, sheriff's deputies found the parents were making meth and had forgotten to care for their small children, leaving them to play outdoors in the cold.

Kerley said such neglect is common among meth-addicted parents. He recalled a case where neighbors called to say toddlers were wandering the streets. When the parents were questioned, they couldn't remember where the children were, he said.

"A lot of times we have to turn the children over to Division of Family Services because of the way they're treated," said Kerley.

As well as handling neglect and abuse cases, sheriff's deputies serve ex parte orders, make court appearances, transport prisoners and patrol the county. Busting meth labs isn't their only duty, but it is a priority.

With an increase in meth activity, local sheriffs have seen an increase in workloads. Many departments, although feeling the strain of their workload, release one or two officers to work with the Drug Task Force.

"It has a direct effect on everything," said Joe Raymond, chief deputy for the Butler County Sheriff's Department in Poplar Bluff.

Nearly 85 percent of the people serving time in the Butler County Jail are there on drug charges, he said. Nationwide, nearly 60 percent of all prisoners are convicted on drug charges.

While violent crimes are down overall in the country, area sheriffs' departments are experiencing more crimes in their counties. Authorities think the increase is related to the meth explosion, said Lt. Tom Taylor who works with drug and crime control for the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

"Methamphetamine makes people very paranoid and more prone to commit a crime," he said. "Obviously, they need more money to feed the habit."

Because of the paranoia, many meth users stockpile weapons, particularly guns. Guns are found in one of every three meth labs busted by the Missouri Highway Patrol, Taylor said.

"We've been pretty lucky that we've only had a few shooting incidents," he said. Officers in Kansas City were saved by their bulletproof vests during a recent meth lab bust. In Pulaski County, officers were caught in a shootout while trying to make a meth bust.

"When the deputies got inside, the cook opened fire," Taylor said. "No civilians or officers were struck, but they were throwing a lot of lead around."

Once meth cookers and users are arrested, many post bond and return to making meth or using it or other crimes within a day of their release, Raymond said.

"They need money to pay their lawyers," he said. "Money is the name of the game."

Supporting a drug habit takes money. When the user doesn't have money, he sometimes turns to theft.

"They steal so they can buy meth and to make meth," Raymond said. "They have to steal something just to make it." Part of the drug's chemical process requires anhydrous ammonia, an ingredient that often is stolen from farms.

Officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety have seen an increase in vandalism and burglaries that could be linked to meth, Ferrell said.

"They say these are victimless crimes," Ferrell said. But after 22 years as sheriff, he believes otherwise. "I can show you victims that are sons and daughters."