METH NOT WELCOME HERE

I read with great interest the June 25 article headlined "Summit is meth
capital of Ohio." I feel, however, a more descriptive title could have
read: "Summit is meth response capital of Ohio." This would've more
accurately described the current situation in Summit County.

As the story reported, Summit has Ohio's largest methamphetamine task force
and can proudly claim one-third of the "busts" made in the state. The
officers and agents that form the Summit County Drug Unit and the Greater
Akron Drug Task Force have been carefully trained and work hard to shut
down these dangerous sites.

It is not that our county houses more drug users than the rest of the
state, or that the disproportionate number of busts is indicative of a
problem that is exclusive to our area. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
The recent explosion of methamphetamine labs in Ohio has sent law
enforcement agencies and city officials from all over the state scrambling
to combat what the West Coast has been fighting for years.

This harmful substance and the clandestine labs that create it have made
their way into the Midwest, and are now in operation across our entire
state. We are fortunate to have a strong, supportive group of leaders who
anticipated the arrival of this deadly and highly addictive drug, and are
actively and aggressively working to let those who use and manufacture
methamphetamine know that they will not do it in our county.

Many agencies around the state are not so fortunate. The response is both
costly and manpower-intensive, and many counties lack the resources to
formulate investigative response teams to gather intelligence and seek out
these dangerous sites. In addition to shutting down the meth-producing
labs, Summit County has taken the initiative to introduce and pass
legislation (the first of its kind in the state) to assist in combating
these illicit operations before they develop.

There is no question that this battle is a difficult one to win, but it
should be comforting to know that if Akron is "the city that never sleeps,"
the drug users are not the only ones awake. Summit County community
leaders, law enforcement patrol officers, drug agents and most importantly,
citizens, are wide awake and responding to the growing problem of
methamphetamine use and production.

DREW ALEXANDER

Sheriff, Summit County

Akron