High number of arrests attributed to department crack-down this
year
Morgan Hill – With a new street crimes unit and a focus by all officers on bringing in perpetrators of methamphetamine and meth-related crimes, the Morgan Hill Police Department has seen a jump in the number of arrests compared to last year.
According to statistics from the police department, during the 2005-06 fiscal year there were 502 arrests related to meth, more than double the 236 arrests reported during the 2004-05 fiscal year.
MHPD Chief Bruce Cumming said the jump is illustrative of the department’s dedicated efforts to curtail these types of crimes.
“It’s something every officer is aware of, every officer is looking for,” he said. “Our street crimes team has made an impact, with Det. Mindy Zen and Officer David Ray concentrating on those and other types of street crimes during the summer.”
Now that school is back in session, Ray has returned to his position as school resource officer; however, Zen and other officers, as available, continue to hone in on street crimes.
Morgan Hill police Sgt. David Swing said though the number of meth-related arrests seems high, the statistics don’t indicate that the number of meth users is necessarily increasing.
“It’s important to remember that these numbers are for all meth-related arrests,” Swing said. “Therefore, you could have one arrest with several charges; for example, for under the influence, for possession of methamphetamine and for possession of drug paraphernalia. These arrests are not all Morgan Hill residents. Also, you tend to have repeat customers. Meth is a highly addictive drug, so you tend to see people who continue to use even though they’ve been apprehended several times.”
The department uses “reporting districts” in the city to look at where certain crimes are taking place. There are 38 reporting districts in MHPD’s jurisdiction.
The reporting district with highest number of meth-related arrests, for fiscal year 2004-05 and 2005-06, was reporting district 32, which extends from Tennant Avenue north to Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road to Railroad Street.
This area had 74 meth-related arrests during the 2005-06 fiscal year and 28 arrests in the prior fiscal year.
Meth, besides being a highly addictive drug, is a drug that leads to other crimes.
MHPD Cpl. Ray Ramos, who has served on the United Narcotics Enforcement Team, said the drug is connected to many more crimes than just controlled substance crimes.
“It’s probably involved in more than half of all the property crimes and a good number of the violent crimes in Morgan Hill,” he said. “It’s probably in some way related to many of our arrests. I think you could say that an average of one out of four arrested are under the influence or have some connection with drugs.”
There are several ways users ingest the drug, Ramos said, including burning it and inhaling the fumes, dissolving it in water and injecting it.
The chemicals used to “cook” the drug can be found on various Internet sites; but the cooking process is volatile, and many homemade meth labs are destroyed by fire.
The drug has a devastating effect on the body, Ramos said, with symptoms of use including poor hygiene and deterioration of the teeth to severe weight loss and erosion of the facial bones.
“It’s particularly hard on the heart muscle,” Ramos said. “Meth users have an accelerated blood pressure and pulse. They can go for days without sleeping.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at
md****@mo*************.com
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