LETTERS: BOUNTY BILL IS WASTEFUL GIMMICK

To the editor:

I appreciated your recent editorial about the methamphetamine problem, especially the part about the success of Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers has a proven record that deserves all the praise it receives.

I was puzzled, however, by your support of state Rep. Pat Naeger's gimmicky proposition known as the Bounty Bill. While I'm sure Naeger has good intentions, his legislation would duplicate services already provided by Crime Stoppers and the highway patrol at a cost of up to $12 million in state funds.

Naeger's bill would give $10,000 to anyone who provides information leading to the conviction of a person selling or manufacturing methamphetamine. While that sounds good on the surface, the bill doesn't limit how many people can be rewarded for just one conviction. For example, if 20 people call the highway patrol about the same convicted methamphetamine dealer, $200,000 would have to be spent on just one criminal. That's a huge amount of money to spend on just one person.

Your editorial also failed to mention that the highway patrol already has a hotline (1-888-823-METH) for people to report suspected methamphetamine dealers. Why are you so anxious to duplicate a toll-free hotline that already exists?

One of the things that makes Crime Stoppers such a success is that it is a local program that works hand in hand with local law enforcement. This is in stark contrast to the provisions of the Bounty Bill, which would create a statewide, bureaucratic, top-heavy system. I prefer a system that emphasizes local control at a much cheaper price.

The Bounty Bill would cost the state up to $12 million over the next three years. A large amount of money like that could be used to help solve the methamphetamine crisis, but it would be wasted if it went for these repetitive bounties. That money could make a real difference by helping the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab move out of its shanty so it would have space to do its work, putting more law enforcement officers on the street and other anti-drug programs. These are effective ways to be tough on crime.

The methamphetamine problem deserves real, thoughtful solutions. The Bounty Bill might sound good in press releases, but in reality it's just a wasteful gimmick that is no solution at all.

STATE REP. JOE HECKEMEYER

160th District

Sikeston