CRIME STOPPERS WANTS TIPS ON METH LABS

Methamphetamine is not just someone else's problem. It is addicting friends and relatives and ruining lives right here in River City.

Busting clandestine labs is keeping the SEMO Drug Task Force so busy that there is hardly time to address other drug problems that haven't gone away.

Law enforcement officials and Crime Stoppers are targeting the menace called meth, and they are making it easier for the public to become involved.

Don't worry. This is one civic duty you can do anonymously but still reap rich rewards.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 in cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals involved in the production and distribution of meth. Tipsters don't have to wait for trial. The arrest is the determining factor for reward payouts.

In fact, Crime Stoppers has already paid out two rewards in recent months for information leading to a meth arrest.

The Crime Stoppers program provides a cash incentive for increased public help to fight this growing drug problem. The Crime Stoppers board should be commended for putting its money where its mouth is. This financial incentive should stimulate greater public participation.

What if so many tips come in that the reward fund runs dry? So be it. We are confident other community businesses and benefactors will step up to donate more money to Crime Stoppers to keep the program in business. Tax-free donations may be sent to Crime Stoppers, P.O. Box 1056, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-1056.

Tipsters can call the official Crime Stoppers number at 332-0500 or *500 on Ameritech cellular phones. There is no caller I.D. on the phone line. Individuals may also call police stations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City. Callers may remain anonymous and will receive a special code number that they can use to receive payment.

No one has to know who you are or why you're calling. Whatever the motivation, the fact a meth distributor or manufacturer has been busted is what counts.

Methamphetamine is a menace -- just as deadly and dangerous as any old-fashioned plague that once gripped the region. But instead of killing quickly, meth typically will force its victims down a long and painful road of addiction and ruin. Meth addicts lose everything -- including their families -- because most addicts eventually choose the drug over everything.

Crime Stoppers allows the public to become more proactive in the fight against meth. The financial incentive and fact people can remain anonymous may be just the nudge some people need to get involved.