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EDITORIAL: See no meth, smell no meth, bust no meth
It has become blatantly obvious there are two kinds of law enforcement agencies in the lake area. Those that aggressively attack methamphetamine labs and those that see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
The Mid-Missouri Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force recently busted or cleaned out five red phosphorus meth labs in three days and took down a dealing operation posing as a neighborhood bar. Mid-MO's busts were made in Barnett, Gravois Mills, Lake Ozark, Osage Beach and rural Moniteau County near the Miller County line.
Mid-MO put the hammer down on eight labs and arrested more than 40 people for meth in Morgan County during 2007.
By contrast, the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group, directed by the Camden County sheriff, took down zero labs in 2007. Of the eight meth arrests made in 2007 by the Camden County Sheriff's Department, zero led to charges of distribution.
Last we checked 0+0=0.
The Camden Sheriff is quick to dismiss the statistics, perhaps because he has no need for hard numbers. However, we who ask questions often use statistics to measure the bottom-line effectiveness of how tax money is spent.
We were perplexed and disappointed the week of March 16 to find no one in the sheriff's office able to tell us how many meth arrests were made in 2007 -- not the sheriff or investigators, not the spokesman answering for the entire department. We were caught completely off guard when the sheriff's “media officer” said the office would not allow a journalist access to public documents for the purpose of counting the number of meth arrests made last year.
Generally when public officials act defensive and unwilling to answer simple questions or release public documents, we figure more digging is in order.
In the spirit of Missouri Sunshine Week (March 16-22) we issued a formal request for the meth arrest reports from 2007. The sheriff charged us $32.40 to retrieve and copy the documents.
Then, in a story published in the Lake Sun two days after LakeExpo's sunshine request, Camden County reported eight meth arrests in 2007 and announced the formation of the Special Operations Division to fight drugs and contend with immigration issues. The sheriff then got on the airwaves, perhaps to dispel some of the arguments being made by a handful local journalists.
"What we are seeing in Camden County is meth being made elsewhere and brought here for distribution. We just aren't seeing the labs like we did in the past," Sheriff John Page told the Lake Sun. Former narcotics officer Sgt. Gregg Sellers elaborated, "Most of the meth we are seeing is coming from the Kansas City area and increasingly we are seeing an increase in Hispanic involvement."
The near non-existence of stationary meth labs in Camden County would certainly rationalize zero lab busts in 2007, if it were true.
However, we fail to see how the sheriff can sidestep the hard fact his office made no arrests in 2007 that resulted in meth distribution charges.
Perhaps meth cookers and large dealers stop on Highway 54 at the Osage Beach limits, maybe they reverse on North Highway 5 at Bass Point.
Perhaps the county does not sit in the middle of rural Missouri.
The Missouri Highway Patrol would argue that Missouri is "No. 1 in meth-related incidents" because law enforcement is super aggressive and has zero tolerance for meth cookers, traffickers and abusers. They assert the proliferation of meth is no more rampant in Missouri than surrounding states. The difference in the arrest statistics is due to the aggressive actions of the hardworking men and women of law enforcement in the State of Missouri.
We’re sure the sheriff would agree with the Highway Patrol, in theory. Practice in 2007 was something very different.
We remain cautiously optimistic about 2008.
Subscribe To Lake AlertsThe Mid-Missouri Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force recently busted or cleaned out five red phosphorus meth labs in three days and took down a dealing operation posing as a neighborhood bar. Mid-MO's busts were made in Barnett, Gravois Mills, Lake Ozark, Osage Beach and rural Moniteau County near the Miller County line.
Mid-MO put the hammer down on eight labs and arrested more than 40 people for meth in Morgan County during 2007.
By contrast, the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group, directed by the Camden County sheriff, took down zero labs in 2007. Of the eight meth arrests made in 2007 by the Camden County Sheriff's Department, zero led to charges of distribution.
Last we checked 0+0=0.
The Camden Sheriff is quick to dismiss the statistics, perhaps because he has no need for hard numbers. However, we who ask questions often use statistics to measure the bottom-line effectiveness of how tax money is spent.
We were perplexed and disappointed the week of March 16 to find no one in the sheriff's office able to tell us how many meth arrests were made in 2007 -- not the sheriff or investigators, not the spokesman answering for the entire department. We were caught completely off guard when the sheriff's “media officer” said the office would not allow a journalist access to public documents for the purpose of counting the number of meth arrests made last year.
Generally when public officials act defensive and unwilling to answer simple questions or release public documents, we figure more digging is in order.
In the spirit of Missouri Sunshine Week (March 16-22) we issued a formal request for the meth arrest reports from 2007. The sheriff charged us $32.40 to retrieve and copy the documents.
Then, in a story published in the Lake Sun two days after LakeExpo's sunshine request, Camden County reported eight meth arrests in 2007 and announced the formation of the Special Operations Division to fight drugs and contend with immigration issues. The sheriff then got on the airwaves, perhaps to dispel some of the arguments being made by a handful local journalists.
"What we are seeing in Camden County is meth being made elsewhere and brought here for distribution. We just aren't seeing the labs like we did in the past," Sheriff John Page told the Lake Sun. Former narcotics officer Sgt. Gregg Sellers elaborated, "Most of the meth we are seeing is coming from the Kansas City area and increasingly we are seeing an increase in Hispanic involvement."
The near non-existence of stationary meth labs in Camden County would certainly rationalize zero lab busts in 2007, if it were true.
However, we fail to see how the sheriff can sidestep the hard fact his office made no arrests in 2007 that resulted in meth distribution charges.
Perhaps meth cookers and large dealers stop on Highway 54 at the Osage Beach limits, maybe they reverse on North Highway 5 at Bass Point.
Perhaps the county does not sit in the middle of rural Missouri.
The Missouri Highway Patrol would argue that Missouri is "No. 1 in meth-related incidents" because law enforcement is super aggressive and has zero tolerance for meth cookers, traffickers and abusers. They assert the proliferation of meth is no more rampant in Missouri than surrounding states. The difference in the arrest statistics is due to the aggressive actions of the hardworking men and women of law enforcement in the State of Missouri.
We’re sure the sheriff would agree with the Highway Patrol, in theory. Practice in 2007 was something very different.
We remain cautiously optimistic about 2008.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of LakeExpo.com.
Earl Thompson wrote on Apr 23, 2008 8:34 PM:
" The Below is from your own website titled Meth Myths copied from St Louis Post Dispatch.
I beleive in Missouri on 2007 there was appox 40 kilograms seized, not very much for appox. 24% of the so called labs in the US but appox 3% of meth seized. Seems like someone could be lying on reports.
But the relationship between drug lab seizures, meth production and drug use is far more complicated than generally portrayed. More labs does not necessarily mean more production, and fewer labs does not equate to less use.
Missouri might lead the nation in lab seizures, but it never has been close to the top in meth production. The California desert traditionally has been home to "superlabs," often elaborately hidden and fortified. Instead of the few ounces that mom-and-pop labs make in places such as Jefferson County, superlabs produce tons of the drug, which is distributed widely "
I beleive in Missouri on 2007 there was appox 40 kilograms seized, not very much for appox. 24% of the so called labs in the US but appox 3% of meth seized. Seems like someone could be lying on reports.
But the relationship between drug lab seizures, meth production and drug use is far more complicated than generally portrayed. More labs does not necessarily mean more production, and fewer labs does not equate to less use.
Missouri might lead the nation in lab seizures, but it never has been close to the top in meth production. The California desert traditionally has been home to "superlabs," often elaborately hidden and fortified. Instead of the few ounces that mom-and-pop labs make in places such as Jefferson County, superlabs produce tons of the drug, which is distributed widely "
Wondering the same wrote on Apr 23, 2008 3:21 PM:
" We definitely are in need of a change in the Sheriff's Office. We have wondered ourselves why no meth lab busts in Camden County. Why not many drug busts of any kind in Camden County? We have gave several drug tips over the last few years and it just falls on deaf ears. The tax payers in Camden County deserve better! Get a Sheriff in office who will get those drugs out of our county. "
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Lake Area Parent wrote on Apr 24, 2008 6:36 PM: