Wagoner Co. Gets Its Own Meth Clean Up Crew

An increase in meth production means more trouble for police. First, they must catch the criminals. Then, comes the dirty work of the clean-up.

A meth crime scene is full of toxic chemicals. Sapulpa police busted one just overnight. They say it was inside a detached garage near Mission and Hobson.

Three people were arrested.

The job of removing the chemicals means hours of painstaking work. All across the state, firefighters take their share of meth lab calls. And, how those calls are handled depends on what county those labs are in.

In Sapulpa, firefighters are always on standby when called to meth labs like the one overnight. They're there to put out a fire. For the more dangerous labs, they'd probably send for a special haz mat trailer originally designed for other environmental or chemical emergencies. Now it has another use, occasionally responding to meth labs.

"If there was a release that we needed the truck, we'd take it. All we'd do is until clean up crew arrived."

But Wagoner County is different. They're taking a more hands on approach to meth labs and their cleanups.

"Our deputies in the past have had to handle the trash from the cleanup in their vehicles which is very dangerous for the deputies," says Sheriff Bob Colbert.

But that's all about to change. For meth lab busts, Wagoner County has ordered a specially-equipped truck to handle meth lab cleanups. Two deputies are already trained to remove what they call meth lab trash and they don't have to rely on cities like Tulsa for help.

"Obviously it's a burden on them, the smaller agencies to have to use their clean up crew," Colbert says. "We took it upon ourself to get our clean up crew."

It's a big undertaking and one that many cities and counties don't want. Sapulpa's fire department in fact wants no part in the business of meth lab cleanups.

"We don't want to clean up. That would take too much time from the guys on the truck."

Not to mention the safety issue. But, with meth labs on the rise in Wagoner -- fifty since the beginning of the year -- it's an investment this county is willing to make.

The new meth lab clean up truck costs around 27-thousand dollars. It is supposed to arrive within six weeks.