The Jackson County Sheriff's Office can continue the fight against methamphetamine now that it received a roughly $123,000 federal grant to re-hire Crime Analyst Amy Etherton and purchase a subscription to a vast crime database called Lexis Nexis.
Etherton, who Sgt. Mike O’Leary described as an indispensable asset to the department’s war on meth, could have been forced to leave due to lack of funding, but with the grant she can continue her work for another two years.  Etherton maintains databases that help the department find trends and connect people to crimes.  One of the most useful ways this helps in the war on meth is pin pointing who’s “smurfing.”  Smurfing is buying more than the legal amount of Sudafed, a key ingredient in meth, by purchasing them from store to store.
The grant was paid through President Barack Obama’s recovery act, which was made available through the Department of Justice for rural drug investigations.  The department was given a similar meth grant two years ago, which allowed the department to hire Etherton.
O’Leary said Jackson County’s meth problem is huge.  The department has been ramping up its efforts in recent years to arrest those involved with the drug.  However, he says he is beginning to see an increase in use of methamphetamine.  He said people who were arrested and sent to prison for selling or producing the drug are being released and are getting back in to it, again.
O’Leary also said more people are becoming users.  As meth is spreading across the country more and more, greater numbers of people are becoming exposed to it.  He also said it is relatively easy to cook.  The laws limiting people to two boxes of Sudafed a month has helped law enforcement put a cap on the drug, however those involved with it are finding ways around the barriers.