Unnecessary Epidemic - Methamphetamine Arkansas

Drug Task Force Preparing Toll-free Methamphetamine Hotline

Methamphetamine has made its way to Arkansas.

Read about the methods used by the citizens there to combat this scourage:

In 2004, the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated 102 methamphetamine labs in Fayetteville. The cost to clean up one of these labs can range from $2,000 to $20,000 at the taxpayers’ expense, depending on the level of contamination and the size of the lab, not to mention the investigative costs and the cost of housing and prosecuting offenders.

The Methamphetamine Awareness Committee met Thursday to generate ideas of creating methamphetamine awareness among members of the community.

Assisted by Public Information Officer Shannon Gabbard of the Fayetteville Police Department, the committee finalized plans for the announcement of a toll-free meth hotline. The hotline will serve Northwest Arkansas, including Washington and Madison counties. The hotline is designed to provide citizens a way to anonymously report illegal drug activity. The main purpose of the hotline is to get the information into the right hands, allowing law enforcement to investigate the reports and begin to address the serious problem methamphetamine has created for communities.

The meth hotline is (888) 852-4908. The calls will be answered by a representative of the Fourth Judicial District Task Force, Monday through Friday during regular business hours. An answering machine will take calls beyond normal hours of operation.

Callers are asked to provide as many detail as possible about the reported drug activity. Some common information requested will include the address where the suspected drug activity is occurring, names and descriptions of the suspects involved in the activity, vehicle descriptions including vehicle license information and specific information about why the caller believes the drug activity is occurring. It will also be helpful to know if the caller has seen drug activity firsthand or if it is second-hand information. It will be crucial for the investigators to know exactly what led the caller to believe drug activity is taking place.

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