Kansas meth lab clean up program cut comes at high cost
August 16, 2009 by Meth Lab Homes · Leave a Comment
A meth lab clean up program that has operated in Kansas since 1999, that was cut from the state’s budget last month, has the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) concerned. For the last decade, whenever a meth lab has been discovered in Kansas, removal of the hazardous and volatile chemicals found at the scene, were quickly removed. The assistant director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) says since the state’s clean up program was cut, that has all changed.
Removing chemicals from properties where a meth lab bust has occurred, now depends on the help of the nearest DEA office. The arrangement isn’t working out so well, according to assistant director Tony Weingartner of the KBI, because the nearest DEA offices aren’t always so “near”. Police in Kansas now find themselves waiting 4 to 8 hours for a clean up crew to arrive to dismantle the drug labs.
So, why is it taking so long for Hazmat teams to arrive to clean up the state’s meth labs? The DEA says that it once they receive a call about a meth lab bust, they have to gather together a clean up team, who then has to drive to the site. The process of getting a clean up crew onsite, can take anywhere between four to eight hours. While police wait for their arrival, meth lab chemicals sit like ticking time bombs, that have to be guarded until the clean up crew arrives. Up until June 30, the end of the state’s fiscal year, 132 meth labs were previously being taken care of by the Clandestine Drug Lab Response Program.
Agencies in the state are now scrambling to find ways to protect the safety of the public in the most cost efficient way possible. The EPA decided to ramp up its effort to approve new clean up contractors, as a way to minimize clean-up response times. The DEA has proposed that Kansas use a program that they use in other states, known as the Central Storage Container Program. The program places containers throughout the state, which would provide a place where specially trained police officers could take and dispose of the meth lab chemicals that they find.
A collaborative meeting between the DEA, the KBI, and the KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Education) has been scheduled for September 3, 2009 in Wichita to discuss how best to address the problems caused since the clean up program in Kansas was dropped.
Sources:
“State looking to fix meth lab clean up problem” KBN 3, 8/14/09, http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/State-looking-to-fix-meth-clean-up-problem/ptudgH7dqkqLyyVoQb4YiA.cspx
“KBI seeks help on meth lab cleanups”, Topeka Capital Journal, Associated Press, 8/14/09, http://cjonline.com/news/state/2009-08-14/kbi_seeks_help_on_meth_cleanups
“Kan. agency looking for alternative after budget cuts claim program for cleaning up meth labs”, Fox 4 News, Associated Press, 8/14/09, http://www.fox4kc.com/news/sns-ap-ks–methlabs-program,0,7700003.story