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PARKERSBURG – As discoveries of clandestine meth labs have increased in recent years, Parkersburg city employees outside the police department have received training in recognizing evidence of their existence.
This helps sanitation workers and others recognize potential hazards, as well as assisting law enforcement in tracking down people who are making and using methamphetamine, Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin said. Training has also been provided to employees of Dominion Hope.
“We felt those that may come in contact with these types of situations, sometimes they may not know what they’re looking at,” he said.
Training was first provided to sanitation workers a couple years ago as discarded meth ingredients and paraphernalia in trash bags were leading to fires in sanitation trucks.
That happened most recently on April 30, and workers brought the truck to the nearest fire station. Evidence recovered led to the arrest of two people on charges of operating or attempting to operate a clandestine drug laboratory.
“A lot of it was attributed to the awareness of the sanitation guys,” Martin said.
“These guys are very aware of their routes and very aware of the neighborhoods where they pick up,” he said. “All the information we get, it helps. It may not be a home run every time, but any information is good information.”
The training isn’t just offered to give police more eyes and ears. It’s also intended to keep workers who might encounter such situations safe.
“Most all of these chemicals are going to produce either vapors or gases, none of which are good for you,” Parkersburg Police Detective Doug Sturm said during a training session for Parkersburg Utility Board employees earlier this month. “Once you start seeing and recognizing some of these things, get the hell out of there.”
Telltale chemical odors, the presence of multiple blister packets of medicine containing pseudoephedrine, iodine stains and numerous discarded, unburned matches are just some of the indicators that meth has been cooked in an area, Sturm said.
PUB manager Eric Bennett said he wanted to have the training done because employees are often out in the field most of the day, from time to time going into residences.
“We wanted to make sure they were properly informed on what they should be looking for to stay away from,” he said, adding being able to inform the police of potential problems is another benefit.
Sturm told PUB employees that the “shake-and-bake” method of making meth has become more commonplace in recent years. That allows the ingredients to be combined in a pop bottle, where the reaction making the drug takes place.
“Real easy, real compact. Everything’s done in a two-liter bottle,” Sturm said.
He also offered advice for dealing with meth users the employees might encounter during the course of their work. Symptoms arising from chronic use include paranoia, aggressiveness, irritability and constant motion of the hands.
“These guys are staying up two, three, four days at a time,” Sturm said. “If you’re talking to somebody, the hands are constantly moving.
“Try to keep a social distance of seven to 10 feet,” he said. “That just gives you time to react to something if they do something stupid.”
When dealing with a person they believe to be using meth, Sturm recommended the workers keep their hands visible and speak in a calm, steady voice. Their paranoia often makes them think someone is trying to take their drugs from them.
“That’s what these guys worry about, is losing their dope,” he said.