US KY: Fighting Back: The Meth Epidemic ( Part 3 of 4 )

RETAILERS ENLISTED IN FIGHT AGAINST METHAMPHETAMINE

Jim Decker took a job six years ago working loss prevention at area Krogers.

Although it was not in the job description, Decker quickly learned that among his many responsibilities was fighting the war against methamphetamine.

Among the hundreds of customers he sees each day, a few are looking to collect the ingredients for a different kind of recipe, one that requires hundreds of decongestant pills.

"Most of the time it's a gray, dead look," Decker said.  "Their eyes, their movement, their nervousness.  You're not supposed to profile, but you can't help but notice."

Unlike many businesses in town, the most popular decongestant pills such as Actifed and Sudafed are kept behind glass at the Kroger pharmacy.  Other groceries, drugstores and bargain retail outlets continue to sell the boxes on the shelves, which frequently result in shoplifting incidents and arrests.

The most common reports of city arrests connected with decongestant thefts stem from Wal-Mart.  The south Frederica store accounted for roughly one-third of the city police shoplifting incidents during the year since April 1, 2003.  The majority of the shoplifting complaints there involved decongestant pills.

There are a variety of types and strengths of decongestant pills, but in order to make an ounce of meth it takes about 1,000 pills of 30 mg pseudophedrine, said Officer Scott Norris with the Owensboro street crimes unit.

Police said that Wal-Mart loss prevention officers work very well with police.  Store employees who suspect customers are gathering items for meth purposes may even follow them to other stores and watch them gather more decongestant pills.  Employees frequently alert police to suspicious activity.

"They go above and beyond," said Sgt.  Brock Peterson, street crimes supervisor.

Corporate spokespeople with Wal-Mart and Target did not grant permission to speak with the loss prevention offices at the stores.

Decker said that work among the two or three loss prevention officers -- and by the pharmacists -- at each Kroger store has helped to lessen the problems associated with decongestant thefts.  Often the pharmacists will alert officers to repeat customers, Decker said.

Kroger loss prevention officers keep license plate numbers of suspicious customers on file and have a good working relationship with city police and the sheriff's department, he said.

Some large drug busts have occurred in the parking lot, he said.  Once police are notified about a person who tries to buy multiple boxes of decongestants, a police search of his or her vehicle sometimes will yield drugs, meth lab equipment and other contraband, Decker said.

During his time at Kroger, Decker has suffered minor injuries and had people brandish weapons when he approached shoplifting customers, he said.  Some people have come into the store to buy stockpiles of decongestants and bring their small children to maintain an appearance of normalcy, he said.

Some people stopped have been on regional shopping trips from Evansville, Henderson or Hopkinsville to gather meth-making ingredients, he said.

"It's a big problem all over," Decker said.  "We don't mind the public knowing that we'll do our part."

Often helping to fight the spread of meth involves a phone call to investigators from a network of cooperative retailers, said Daviess County Sheriff's Lt.  Jeff Jones.

"We certainly get information from retailers from throughout the community," Jones said.

Often the details may be as specific as license plates or just general tips, he said.

Wal-Mart has a corporate policy that prevents more than three boxes of decongestant pills from being sold at once, said company spokeswoman Danette Thompson.  Customers who try to buy four boxes receive a paper that informs them about the policy prohibiting the sales, she said.

Larger companies are often the ones with the ability to hire security personnel, but smaller mom-and-pop style businesses are not immune to the epidemic.

Many of the smaller convenience store chains and individual owners have taken strides to get the situation under control.

A shoplifting incident that turned violent led to the boxes of decongestants being moved behind the counter at all four Franey's Food Marts, said Lee Franey, who owns the Daviess County businesses with his brothers.

A man took one box of the pills off the shelf in January and was stopped by Franey as he tried to leave.  A struggle ensued, and Franey managed to detain the man until sheriff's deputies arrived.  A small quantity of meth and drug paraphernalia was found in the man's pocket.

Now employees are permitted to only sell one box per customer, Franey said.  Store shelves have only two or three boxes at any given time so that any spike in sales would be obvious to management, he said.

Jumpin' Jack's operates at least a dozen businesses in Daviess and surrounding counties.  Employees have been instructed about the laws through conversations, e-mails and letters in their paychecks, said vice president Randy Northern.

Northern said he personally monitors the purchase forms to look for red flags.

Harish Patel, owner of two Owensboro convenience stores, has stopped selling the high-dosage decongestant pills at his businesses.  Now, the stores only sell the less-potent decongestants and keeps those boxes behind the counter, he said.

The changes came after three people staffing Patel's two stores were charged by police with illegally selling boxes of the pills for inflated prices.  Patel was not charged with anything but said the police sting operations awakened him to the magnitude of the problem.