Police Take Meth Problems to Church

It`s a well-known that Arkansas has one of the country`s worst methamphetamine problems. Chasing down meth-makers and users is a daily job for most law enforcement agencies. But today White County officials took some of that work to the church, asking for a little help from the community. "We have traditionally looked at the supply side and in this case we want to identify the demand and why the demand is so high for meth users," said Chief J.R. Thomas, Searcy Police Department. About 72 White County churches participated in "Meth Aware Church Day." The program gets the community involved in recognizing the signs of a meth lab or a meth users. Church pastors used their sermons to talk about the drug and it`s addiction, and congregation members prayed for drug addicts. "Most of us particularly those involved in a religious community oftentimes are sheltered and do not know what`s going on ou there," said Rev. Al Fowler, Covenant Fellowship Church. Recovered addicts shared their stories of addiction and recovery with those congregations. "When I found myself in jail too many times, when I found myself broken, without a job," that`s when Shawn Collins says he turned his life around. Police officers were on hand with displays to show the community what items might be found at a meth lab or on meth user, and to answer any questions.