Officers undergo 'meth' training

By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
Franklin County sent a delegation of law enforcement officials to a training program on the production of methamphetamine (meth) to help them better recognize meth producers.
The two-day training was held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and focused on the equipment, chemicals and terminology associated with the manufacturing of controlled substance, particularly meth. There was also a fully functional mock-meth lab on display to demonstrate the manufacturing process, according to course description.
"The course is just another tool we have to find meth labs and those who operate them," Red Bay Police Sgt. Scotty Chandler said.
Every law enforcement agency in the county, with the exception of the Sheriff's department, sent a representative to this training so that they can learn more about finding meth labs in our county.
"Greg Pinkard was scheduled to go but he had a conflict where he could not attend," Joey Rushing, district attorney, said.
Craig Hammer with the California Department of Justice/Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement instructed the training session.
"People need to realize that producers don't care about what goes into the finished product; they just care about making the money," Chandler said.
The finished product contains substances that will kill you if consumed individually, Chandler added.
"The use of meth is a growing problem, and it is definitely a problem in Franklin County," Chandler said.
The training was paid for by a federal grant given to the Office of Prosecution Services to fund training and equipment to clean meth labs, Rushing said.
"We tried to send a representative from each law enforcement agency in the county," Rushing concluded.