TONIGHT'S FREE COMMUNITY FORUM PROVIDES FIRSTHAND LOOK AT METH

It's one thing to talk about it.

It's a whole other matter to do something about it.

Tonight interested people will have a chance to show their support for the methamphetamine battle waging in Southeast Missouri.

People can take their questions and concerns to a free community forum at Southeast Missouri State University's new business building. The program begins at 6:30 in the Glenn Auditorium of Dempster Hall.

In addition to a number of law enforcement and judicial experts, a former meth addict will be on hand to answer questions. Dewayne Kluesner grew up in Scott City. He has overcome addictions to alcohol and meth. He was busted twice on meth charges last year.

Kluesner will travel to the forum from his home in Florida. He feels it's important for former addicts to speak out on the dangers of meth.

The program will start with a short video overview on the meth battle in Missouri.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Rick Hetzel will serve as master of ceremonies for the program. He has served seven years in law enforcement following a 20-year career as a special agent of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.

Hetzel said that education about the meth problem is "our key to success."

Speakers will provide practical tips on recognizing clandestine labs in neighborhoods or rural areas.

"It's not just a Cape city issue, it's a regional issue," said Hetzel.

Indeed, about 70 meth labs were busted by the SEMO Drug Task Force in Southeast Missouri last year. The task force could well surpass those numbers in 1998. From January to June, 49 clandestine labs were seized.

The drug task force covers 15 Southeast Missouri counties -- from Perry County south to the Arkansas line, and from the Mississippi River to Oregon County on the west.

Sgt. Kevin Glaser, who heads up the SEMO Drug Task Force, will present a short overview of the region's meth problem. He has worked as supervisor of the task force since 1995. He is a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, assigned to the Troop E marijuana eradication and narcotics section to work undercover drug investigations.

Dr. Bob Briner, director of the SEMO Regional Crime Lab, will discuss the common ingredients used to make meth and the potential hazards they pose. Briner has directed the crime lab since 1971. He is past president of the Midwest Association of Forensic Scientists and past president of the American Society of Crime Lab Directors.

The audience will then have an opportunity to question panelists about the dangers of meth. In addition to Glaser, Briner and Kluesner, other panelists include:

-- Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan. An 18-year law enforcement veteran, Jordan is a former narcotics officer and former commander of the county's Major Case Squad. He was first elected as sheriff in 1994. He serves on numerous law enforcement boards including the Midwest HIDTA, which is the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area that focuses on meth abuse in a five-state region.

-- Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. He will soon begin his fourth term as prosecutor for the county. He has prosecuted thousands of cases from misdemeanors to death penalty cases and tried almost 100 jury trials.

-- Cpl. Keith May with the Cape Girardeau Police Department. He has worked on drug investigations for 11 of his 13 1/2 years with the department. For several years, he worked for the SEMO Drug Task Force. He works in the police department's patrol division.

The business building is at Henderson and New Madrid streets. Parking is available in the Dempster Hall parking lot or the Henderson Street lot across the street.

In addition, audience members may park in the Show Me Center parking lot and a van will shuttle people to Dempster Hall.

Several drug and meth handouts will also be available.

Tonight's program comes as the culmination of the Southeast Missourian's eight-day special report on meth use in Missouri. The entire series will be repackaged and inserted into the 1998 YELL edition. YELL papers will be sold at street corners in Cape Girardeau, Scott City and Jackson to raise money for literacy efforts.

The reprint is being made available courtesy of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Crime Reduction Fund. An overprint will also be distributed to high schools in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City.

For more information, contact Joni Adams at (573) 335-6611, ext. 121.