Meth Lab Response

You spend hours developing intelligence and constructing the search warrant. Then you take it to the judge for review. After a few minutes, the judge signs the warrant and affidavit and you are out the back door. Before you’re back to your car, you’re on the cell phone asking the boss to go ahead and rally the troops.

Oh, but wait a minute. This is a meth lab, and lately there have been more and more articles appearing in the newspaper describing stories of officer and bystander injuries due to the toxicity of labs. Stories about poisons in the air and fast moving fires are now in abundance. More thought needs to be given to this.

The first consideration in any operation is that of officer safety. More often than not, police and firefighters depend on their training and experience to facilitate successful outcomes in dangerous situations. In the arena of clandestine lab response, the same holds true.  Only those officers and supervisors with proper education have the requisite background to ensure the myriad of tasks are safely carried out.

Like all investigations and search warrants there are many questions that must be answered prior to arriving at the suspects residence. Take the response issue one step further and add to the equation the fact labs are portable and can be found anywhere, and all investigations from traffic stops to domestic violence calls must now consider the potential existence of a meth kitchen.

Has the proper training been made available? If labs are so toxic, how is evidence collected without endangering evidence technicians and contaminating storage facilities? What steps have to be taken in order to safely remove and legally dispose of explosive and environmentally damaging substances?

Additionally, what happens if someone suffers a chemical exposure? What equipment should be used to prevent injury?

Finally, what happens when police and fire leave the scene? Are the dangers still present, and if so, what should be done to make the area safe again?

All of these issues and more must be tackled prior to initiating a clandestine lab response. Failing to do so could have catastrophic consequences both physically to the first responders and financially to their departments.