Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, joined by King

Councilmember Reagan Dunn with (l-r) King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, Dan Satterberg, Chief of Staff for King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng and Ron Conlin, President of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, announcing the expansion of the "Meth Watch" program to include seeking the community’s help in apprehending those wanted by local law enforcement for meth-related crimes in King County.

“Meth Watch will empower communities and help law enforcement capture individuals wanted in connection with methamphetamine crimes,” said Dunn. “Working together we can stop those responsible for the spread of this very dangerous and addictive drug.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Washington had twice as many meth lab incidents in 2004 as Oregon and 20 percent more than California. The Sheriff’s Office reports that meth labs are primarily found in the rural communities of South King County, especially Enumclaw, Maple Valley and Covington, although they are increasingly found in urban areas as well.

Currently Meth Watch focuses on retailers tracking and reporting unusual purchases of meth ingredients. The expansion of the program will create a public-private partnership geared towards media outreach and seeking the community’s help in apprehending those wanted by local law enforcement for meth-related crimes in King County.

The Sheriff’s office will highlight individuals (pdf file) wanted in connection with a meth-related crime. The suspect's profile will be distributed to local television, radio, newspaper and web-based media. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will host a toll-free hotline and case number for citizens who have information.

“Crime Stoppers has been an active and effective partner with law enforcement throughout the state for over two decades, providing a service to the area by taking anonymous tips that lead to the solving of serious crime,” said Ron Conlin, President of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. “This next step of a partnership to attack the serious meth problem is a way to involve the community by encouraging the eyes and ears of our neighborhoods to fight back together. We commend Councilmember Dunn, Sheriff Rahr and the Prosecutor’s Office for working with us to establish this program.”

“As a former National Coordinator for Project Safe Neighborhoods, I have experience developing community-driven crime prevention programs,” said Dunn. “Over the upcoming weeks, I will actively work to help this team launch the Meth Watch program expansion in King County.”