Methamphetamine viewed as top problem for law enforcement in U.S.

The results of a survey released by the National Association of Counties on July 5 indicated that methamphetamine has become the foremost issue on the minds of law enforcement. the survey, "The Criminal Effect of Meth on Communities," collected responses from 500 counties in 45 states. The results of the survey, reported in the paper "The Impact of Meth on Children," are based on responses from 303 counties from all 13 states where child welfare activities are performed at the county level.

Some findings of the survey include:

• Of the 500 responding agencies, 87% report increases in meth-related arrests, starting three years ago.

• Fifty-eight percent of the counties surveyed said that methamphetamine was their largest drug problem. Meth was followed by cocaine (19%), marijuana (17%), or heroin (3%) as the number-one drug problem.

• Fifty percent of the counties estimated that one in five of their current jail inmates were housed because of meth-related crimes. The problem is even worse in the other half of the counties surveyed.

• Seventy percent of the responding officials said that robberies or burglaries have increased because of meth use, while 62% report increases in domestic violence.

To read a copy of the report, go to the website hosted by the National Association of Counties: www.naco.org
...and then click on the word "Surveys" and look for "The Meth Epidemic in America (PDF)".