U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Fact Sheet

www.cops.usdoj.gov

Methamphetamine Initiative

Background 
The use of methamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant, has been a persistent problem for law enforcement agencies across the United States. Often referred to by its street names such as crank, speed, ice, or crystal, methamphetamine is cheap and addictive, and traditionally has been developed in clandestine laboratories that often were located in remote areas. Methamphetamine use spread quickly, most noticeably in rural areas, largely because of its simple preparation methods and because manufacturers had easy access to the precursor chemicals necessary for producing it. 

In recent years, changing trends in methamphetamine production and distribution have created new obstacles for law enforcement and public health agencies. While law enforcement efforts and restrictions on the sale of precursor chemicals have been successful in decreasing the domestic production of methamphetamine, foreign drug traffickers have capitalized on this decreased availability by quickly expanding their avenues of methamphetamine distribution as users have sought new, reliable supplies.[1] 

	1 National Drug Intelligence Center: 
National Drug Threat Assessment 2008. 				  www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs25/25921/meth.htm.

COPS Methamphetamine Grants 
Since 1998, the COPS Office has invested nearly $500 million nationwide to combat the spread of methamphetamine. COPS Office meth funding supports enforcement, training, and prevention nationwide, concentrating in areas having the greatest need for assistance in combating methamphetamine production, distribution, and use. The COPS Office encourages agencies to focus on community policing approaches to methamphetamine reduction, and also works directly with state and local law enforcement agencies to craft innovative strategies, track and evaluate their implementation, and disseminate results to other jurisdictions confronting similar challenges. To combat methamphetamine in their communities, the COPS Office also encourages sites to develop partnerships with, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency, fire departments, local businesses, mental health organizations, child protection services, and other local law enforcement entities. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) uses COPS Office funds to train state and local law enforcement professionals on clandestine lab enforcement operations including basic certification, officer safety, and tactical training. The DEA also uses COPS Office funding to improve the clandestine lab information-gathering capabilities of the El Paso Intelligence Center, carry out regional information-sharing conferences, and assist state and local law enforcement in cleaning up methamphetamine lab sites. In fiscal year 2008, the DEA received $19.9 million in COPS Office funds for methamphetamine lab clean-up efforts. 

2008 Funding Provisions
The 2008 COPS Office Methamphetamine Initiative is a noncompetitive, targeted program that focuses on assisting localities with identified meth problems. Program goals for agencies that were identified in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161) may include the following:
	 Establish or enhance existing comprehensive methamphetamine-reduction efforts through 	  coordinated prevention, intervention/treatment, and enforcement activities 
	 Increase the use of community policing strategies (including problem-solving, partnerships, 	  and organizational changes) to reduce the manufacture, distribution, and use of 	  methamphetamine 
	 Increase coordination, information sharing, and collaboration among local, state, and federal 	  public and/or private entities involved in prevention, intervention/treatment, and enforcement 	  activities related to methamphetamine.

Approximately $41 million in total funding will be awarded under the 2008 COPS Meth Initiative. Each grant is 3 years in duration, and there is no local match. Award amounts and agencies were identified in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161).

The COPS Office offers publications, products, and training opportunities to advance community policing and support its grant programs.  The materials offer insights into experiences of others in the field in addressing specific problems, and include the following:
	.Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs, 2nd edition
	.Prescription Fraud
	.Implementing Responses to Problems
	.Researching a Problem
	.Addressing Responses to Problems: An Introductory 
Guide to Police Problem-Solvers
	.Award-Winning Community Policing Strategies
	.Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems
	.COPS Collaboration Toolkit

The COPS Office also sponsors training opportunities and conferences to give law enforcement professionals an opportunity to learn, network, and exchange ideas with colleagues. COPS Office publications and training opportunities are posted on COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

Contact the COPS Office 
For more information, call the COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770, or visit COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

Updated September 2008
e1006527