Meth in the Rural Neighborhoods:

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Meth in the Rural Neighborhoods Report from
the Front Line and What YOU can do! Community
Action Team
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Problems in the Neighborhood?

• Mail/identity theft on the increase.
• Increased traffic all hours of the day or night,
  to some addresses--short visits.
• Dumping on commercial and private properties
  unusual items such as solvent cans, automotive
  chemical containers, parts of lithium batteries.
• Propane tanks with blue fittings were appearing
  on the roadsides and private driveways.

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Quickly we learned

• the sad sorry truth about METH.

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Community on Alert! Time for Action!

• Educational web site and neighborhood ed. program
  
• License plate data base.
• Mystery camera program.
• Letter writing campaign to owners of problem
  properties with ccs to Code Enforcement,
  Sheriffs Department and the Prosecutor.
• Meth dumping documentation and reporting.
• Meth lab removal activities
• Assertive neighborhood watch program for
  cleaned neighborhoods (nature abhors a vacuum!).

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Is it a Meth Lab?

• Often low-income rental properties and/or
  properties that are behind on payments or taxes.
• May be a hut or travel trailer on land where the
  land owner is not living on site (and may not be
  aware of squatters on the property).
• Frequent heavy traffic (car, bike, pedestrian),
  often in spurts, all hours of the day or evening.
• Unusual smells and activity patterns at the site
  midnight burn piles.
• Many strangers that visit for short periods.
• Often many junk vehicles on the property creating
  a significant eyesore for the neighborhood
• There may be a signal mechanism such as a porch
  light, a cardboard sign or an orange cone.

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Meth Waste

• Meth waste can take several forms from aluminum
  backed blister packaging to chemical containers
  to dangerous anhydrous ammonia tankseven
  syringes.
• The meth manufacturer doesnt seem to care where
  the waste goes when s/hes finished with it.
• Here is a sample of what we have recently found
  on privately owned properties

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Meth Street Tour of Homes

• Where cooks lived in our community

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In spite of growing success, the community
remains frightened

• Many people come to community meetings about the
  meth problem.
• Many people call and E-mail us asking what can be
  done.
• Sadly, rural dwellers are now very likely to try
  to isolate themselves and ward off visitors with
  unfriendly even threatening signs.

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Signs
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What we have learned

• In our experience, we have learned a meth-free
  neighborhood is an ongoing process of
• Observation
• Documentation (when applicable)
• Intervention (multi-agency)
• Prevention.

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What can you do?

• Document, document, document
• and did we mention, document?

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How to document

• People
• Vehicles
• Activities

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People
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Vehicles
CYMBOL Technique for Documenting Suspicious
Vehicles Note This is the information law
enforcement can use to act on your report. Use
the Date/Time indicator as a referent to
coordinate forms.
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Activities
Description of Suspect Activities For each person
you described on the Suspicious Persons form,
describe what activities make this person seem
suspicious to you. It is important to avoid
feeling words and use describing words. Use the
Date/Time indicator as a referent to coordinate
forms.
IMPORTANT If you believe a crime is being
committed or has just occurred, report what you
witnessed to the 911 Communications Center as
soon as possible. Also, if you believe the
suspect may have a weapon or you have seen the
suspect with a weapon in the past, please include
that information in your report.
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Intervention

• Ongoing suspected drug problems? Let these folks
  know
• Sheriffs Department
• Crime Stoppers
• Code Enforcement (junk vehicles?)
• Health Department (solid waste on the property?)
• Prosecutors Office
• City Council Representative
• County Council Representative
• Start a neighborhood watch program

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Effective Neighborhood Advocacy

• Call everyone who will listen, including the
  press!
• Put on a spirit of collaboration and teamwork.
• Enlist others to share the responsibility and
  deep satisfaction of the project.
• Be cautious not to violate anyones rights.
• Be cautious of rumors. Make decisions based on
  data (i.e. photos, videos, log sheets).
• Never confront.

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Why bother?

• To get/keep your neighborhood safe
• To keep your children safe
• To preserve your property values
• How do we know it works?
• Comments from drug dealers themselves

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• Would you people leave us alone?
• Were just trying to earn a living here!
• --Anon.

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Community Action Team Because Methamphetamines
Eat Opportunity Out of Washington
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