U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

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www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Fact Sheet 

Methamphetamine Initiative 

Background 

The use of methamphetamine, a central 
nervous system stimulant often referred 
to by its street names crank, speed, ice, or 
crystal, is expanding across the United States. 
Developed in clandestine laboratories often 
located in remote areas, methamphetamine 
is cheap and addictive. Methamphetamine 
spreads easily, due largely to easy access 
to the necessary precursor chemicals 
and simple preparation methods. Today, 
methamphetamine labs can be found almost 
anywhere – suburban settings, apartments, 
hotels, warehouses, and garages. The facilities 
used to produce meth can range in size from 
small mom-and-pop labs to superlabs. They 
pose serious health risks both to the citizens 
who live near them and the law enforcement 
professionals who seize them. 

COPS Methamphetamine Grants 

Since 1998, COPS has invested more than 
$385 million nationwide to combat the spread 
of methamphetamine. In fiscal year 2005, 
COPS awarded nearly $53 million to fight 
the escalating methamphetamine problem. 
This funding supports enforcement, training, 
and lab cleanup activities nationwide, 
but is concentrated in areas with 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. 
COPS also works directly with state and 
local law enforcement agencies to craft 
innovative strategies, track and evaluate 
implementation, and disseminate results 
to other jurisdictions confronting similar 
challenges. To combat methamphetamine in 
their communities, COPS encourages sites to 
develop partnerships with other agencies, such 
as the Environmental Protection Agency, fire 
departments, local businesses, mental health 
organizations, child protection services, and 
other local law enforcement entities. 

COPS funds are also used by the Drug 
Enforcement Administration (DEA) to 
provide training to state and local law 
enforcement professionals on clandestine 
lab enforcement operations including basic 
certification, officer safety, and tactical 
training. The DEA also uses COPS 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 FY 2005, the 
DEA received $19.7 million in COPS funds 
for methamphetamine lab clean-up efforts. 

Among other projects funded in fiscal year 
2005, the COPS Office helped to support the 
2nd Annual 2005 National Drug Endangered 
Children (DEC) Conference in Washington, 

D.C. This conference brought together 
professionals from diverse backgrounds to 
facilitate the discussion of important medical, 
psychosocial, scientific, legal, social service, 
and data collection topics concerning drug 
endangered children. The National DEC 
Alliance provides multi-disciplinary training 
for communities interested in starting or 
expanding DEC programs by providing 
referrals to experts, updated research on 
topics concerning drug endangered children, 
and best practice information. Over 300 
attendees participated in this highly successful 
conference. 


In addition, the COPS Office co-sponsored 
the 2005 South Carolina Community 
Methamphetamine Conference (SCCMC), 
which was held November 28 – December 
1, 2005. This summit was the most 
comprehensive examination of the problems 
created by the use, distribution, and 
manufacture of methamphetamine in South 
Carolina. Participants were tasked with 
developing recommendations to combat the 
growing methamphetamine crisis in South 
Carolina, and the collective recommendations 
will be compiled by the National Crime 
Prevention Council (NCPC) and documented 
in a comprehensive report. The Carolinas 
Regional Community Policing Institute 
(CRCPI), located in South Carolina, also 
received COPS funding to support the 
SCCMC. 

Contact COPS 

For more information on COPS 
Methamphetamine funding, please call the 
COPS Response Center at 800.421.6770, or 
visit COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

Updated December 2, 2005 
e12052017