Ice Age II: Lessons Learned from Bay County, Florida Methamphetamine Awareness/Training Documentary

View Multimedia
 

Ice, Speed, Go Fast, Crank, Crystal, Yaba -- No matter what you call it, Methamphetamine is the fast-growing, illegal drug craze our nation’s ever seen. It’s catching law enforcement and communities off guard. And those fighting it are having a hard time keeping up with the battle to eradicate this epidemic. The folks in Bay County, Florida will tell you all about it in this one-hour training documentary. Because when meth hit Florida, this poison was first peddled in the Panhandle. But there was a new Sheriff in town, armed and ready to launch a pre-emptive strike on meth and chase it out of his jurisdiction.

“The day we announced that we were creating our meth unit, we worked our first meth lab. From that point on, it went crazy!” recalls Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithan who created his MAD (Methamphetamine Drug Unit) – a team of deputies assigned to fight meth and only meth 24/7.

“What concerns me the most is the availability of this drug and the fact that someone can leave their home, go to the local store or Wal-Mart and buy the materials to make meth with,” Sheriff McKeithan says. “It’s just unbelievable that they can do that. It’s the only drug in America where they can run down to Wal-Mart with their shopping list filled and go home and make meth.” “The secret to winning this battle or war on meth is to #1: Have the right battle plan,” he proclaims.

“The potential for harm to police officers and the communities goes up greatly because of illegal methamphetamine production,” says Sheldon Burkett, a Special Supervisory Agent and clandestine methamphetamine expert with the Drug Enforcement Administration. “These chemicals used to make meth need to be handled differently than drugs such as cocaine, heroin or marijuana would be treated because it is hazardous waste.”

This one-hour training documentary focuses on how the illegal manufacturing, use, abuse and trafficking of methamphetamine wreaked havoc on this quiet county in the Panhandle. You will hear first-hand accounts about the dangers of meth from undercover officers, fire-fighters, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) methamphetamine experts as well as heart-wrenching stories from a former meth addict and a mother whose son committed suicide while high on meth. This video is designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience – from law enforcement officers, fire fighters, neighborhood and citizen groups, probation and child protective services workers, drug treatment providers, schools --- anyone or any agency who wants to know more about what meth is and how to protect yourself from the devastatingly dangerous demise it is having on communities nationwide.

Program Objectives:

• Learn how meth is being manufactured in neighborhood homes
• Learn how to recognize Clan Lab Indicators – the ingredients, chemicals and supplies used to cook meth
• Learn how to protect you from the dangers of the highly volatile chemicals used in illegal clandestine laboratory methamphetamine production
• The environmental hazards associated with the production of methamphetamine
• Explore the unique dangers meth poses to children
• Understand how meth affects the user and how violent and dangerous people high on meth can be
• Discover effective strategies in fighting the War on Meth