TULSA – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Tulsa Police Department are hosting a series of training seminars and exercises at OSU-Tulsa this week in an effort to combat methamphetamine laboratories in northeastern Oklahoma.

More than 50 law enforcement and fire department officials from around the state are gathering today through Friday to take part in lectures and exercises in OSU-Tulsa’s Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center.

DEA instructors and chemists will teach participants the most common procedures used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, how to recover and safely handle evidence and the proper use of protective equipment. Following the week-long training, participants will be certified clandestine laboratory investigators and will be issued protective clothing and equipment by the DEA.

According to the DEA, the Tulsa DEA office and the Tulsa Police Department have responded to 426 meth lab-related calls so far this year, in comparison to 93 calls in 2008. Officials believe the steady increase is due to the popularization of the “one pot” or “shake-and-bake” method of making methamphetamine.

News Contacts:

Mary Bea Drummond
918-594-8223

Trish McBeath
918-594-8360