Senator hears about meth bill
Bingaman takes feedback on proposals to stem growing drug epidemic

By Jim Maniaci
Staff writer

GRANTS — Local, state and tribal criminal justice officials and some tribal school officials advised a U.S. Senator about two bills in Congress to fight methamphetamine and to renew a popular police assistance law.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., has been touring New Mexico to get input to improve the Combat Math Act of 2005 (Senate Bill 103), which has passed Senate and has gone to the House of Representatives. The two-term federal legislator also asked about the Community Oriented Policing Services Act being reauthorized as Senate Bill 945.

Cohoe noted the county gets hit with the costs to keep meth addicts in jail. He also was the first of several to point out the need for an in-state or nearby treatment center devoted to the behavior-altering, sometimes deadly, and extremely addictive drug.

Judge Camille Martinez-Olguin of the 13th Judicial District pinpointed a loophole in the system by saying money is needed for monitoring and treatment between arraignment on charges and trial. She also believes the entire family should be included and that more parole-probation officers are needed.

She said that out of 35 cases one P.O. handles, 30 involve meth.

Captain Jerry Cottrell of the New Mexico State Police district headquarters in Gallup said he has trouble filling current vacancies, as do all rural agencies, let alone getting budget money for more positions.

He also raised the checkerboard jurisdiction problem, and described some efforts to cross-commission officers of the different agencies.

Grants Police Chief Marty Vigil said he would like to see disclosure in real estate sales to include the fact that a residence had been a meth laboratory site, since the residue of dangerous chemicals can remain long after the clean-up. He also would like to see more neon added to anhydrous ammonia used in the manufacture of methamphetamine to make the anhydrous ammonia unusable in the drug's production.

Milan Police Chief Jerry Stevens emphasized, "Enforcement is the only way to get treatment" since defendants are not giving voluntary compliance in trying to rehabilitate themselves from the grevious addiction.

At the meeting, Ramah school officials such as County Commissioner Bennie Cohoe and Ramah chapter officers who also are connected with the community school corporation noted that even though tribalschool officials were present, they had not been invited. Bingaman apologized and accepted the blame for not inviting them. Officials from area public schools were not present.

Before coming to Grants, the senator and his assistants were in the Acoma Pueblo to see efforts to line irrigation ditches by FastDitch, a New Mexico-based company which developed the lining. Last year the company received a $268,467 grant to help improve the product, according to Bingaman's press officer, Jude McCartain.

— To contact reporter Jim Maniaci, telephone (505) 285-6184 or (505) 870-7775 (cellular).