Clandestine Labs and the Dangers It Poses to Law Enforcement - Essay Example

Clandestine labs and the dangers it poses to law enforcement and emergency personnel of and Code: Name of Instructor: Date of Submission: Executive Summary Drug production has continuously attracted many societies around the world today. It could not be denied that this truth has actually affected the procedures by which law enforcers intend to manage the needed control of law that the society needs to be protected from the outrageous increase of rate of drug addiction in the country. Through the different programs of law enforcing followed by the government departments that are expected to protect the security of the people towards a more peaceful nation that is set away from the control of drug addiction and cases that are teeming to affect the security of the majority of the population living in the community in consideration. One of the most important growing issues that are provided a particular attention by the US government and US departments on law enforcement is the continuous increase of number of clandestine laboratories in the country. So far, although the government has tried hard to practically create massive definitions on how the law enforcers should actually be involved in handling the situation properly through training and increased competence in the process, it could be seen how the increase of rate in connection with the number of clandestine laboratories in the country today provides a rather different picture on the part of the efforts placed by the national officials on the matter in concern. In this paper, a practical presentation on the issues and particular dangers that both law enforcers and emergency personnel face every time they risk their lives in attacking clandestine laboratories for the sake of protecting the security of the greater population making up the nation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 About Clandestine Laboratories 6 The Risks and Dangers of Dealing with Clan Lab Cases 7 What the Government Has Done to Prevent the Dangers 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Clandestine laboratories are well known local factories of drug production particularly that of Methamphetamines. These laboratories are noted to be located in hidden areas that are usually kept from the human naked eye due to its being illegal especially in the United States. Many operators of Clan Labs hide their laboratories in places where no one would actually suspect such as garage areas, and other home areas that are not likely much visited by outsiders. However, although placed in such areas, the recognition of these laboratories becomes easy due to the smell of chemicals coming out from the said sources of drug production. Usually, the smell of urine [due to the existence of ammonia] could be recognised from the area of production. An alarming cue that a clan lab may exist in an area should actually give one the right push to tell about the matter to law enforcers who are appointed to oversee the concerned place under the case of a possible clan lab existence. Why is this a must It has been researched and well studied through experience based cases that clan labs are highly dangerous especially for those living within its vicinities. Considerably, the imposed position of the people living around the area is endangered due to the existence of the chemicals that are used for the production of the illegal drugs. These substances are noted to be highly flammable and are also considered dangerous to the health of those who are living around the area where they are used for mass production of drug substances. For this reason, it is highly recommended that community security law enforcers closely see to it that nothing is unnoticeably passed through especially when the issue comes to unknown areas of clan labs hidden within populated communities. Along with that, the aim of protecting the values of the law enforcers appointed for the areas concerned is also increased as most of the law enforcers and the emergency responders during investigation procedures are most of the time endangered especially with regards their health. In the documented discussion that follows, a proper sense of understanding how clan lab investigations should be dealt with and properly to avoid dangerous emergencies that could endanger the lives of the ones who serve their lives for the security of others who are living in the community. Through this documented presentation, a massive understanding on how the government tries to protect the lives of its people as they subject their lives to grave danger when undergoing clan lab investigations in the different areas of the country. About Clandestine Laboratories Clandestine Laboratories or most widely known as Clan Labs could be a locally established, factory-like areas where drugs such as methamphetamines are produced. Sometimes, these established areas of productions are considered to be short time source of drug dealing distributors. Some are just in for the profit making their Clan Labs disappear in the area within a couple of weeks or sometimes even days. Once the produced drugs are already released in the target market, the producers scram off even before the law enforcers find out about their operation in the community. This is the basic reason why it is so hard for the local law enforcers to immediately locate the whereabouts of such Clan Labs that are most often than not easily disappearing to other areas of the same community where they are assigned. Definitely, the importance of handling the situations perfectly on the part of the law enforcers and the emergency personnel who are assigned to check on a particular case situation is a practical source of success in completing the responsibilities that these personnel have towards the society that they are serving. This is the reason why today, focusing on the skills and the competence that the law enforcers and emergency personnel have towards the responsibilities that they are aiming to complete as part of their duty to the societies that they are serving. Why is there a need for this Practically, through the competence check that is made between them and their colleagues, they are given the proper protection that they need to be able to handle the difficulties of the case situations that they are involved in. This includes the competence check that they have to protect themselves from possible health hazards that they may face during the raid operations that they are to perform as part of their duties. Why is the health protection needed when doing these raids The following section shall point out the discussion needed to clarify this issue concerned with regards the said matter. The Risks and Dangers of Dealing with ClanLab Cases Clandestine labs could either be the actual factory or the storage area of the clan lab operators. Likely though, no matter what it stands for the major operators of the establishment, it needs to be directly recognized as a danger zone especially for those who are living around it. Considerably, people who are less able to recognize the existence of a clan lab in the areas near them are the ones who are most at risk. Why is this so The fumes that are coming out from the laboratory area are hazardous to the health of the ones that are living around them. This is especially true when there are children in the area. The presence of dangerous chemicals in clan labs such as sodium or lithium metals and anhydrous ammonia which are all know to be extremely fire hazard and are likely to ignite when mixed with water makes the whole area of concern a proper danger zone of which raid operators must be very much aware of. Other dangers also include toxic threats which basically come from the operations on waste management that the clan lab operators are adapting to; it is through this that the possibility of explosion could be sourced out from. Likely, the entire area or the vicinity that surrounds the clan lab location is already contaminated with toxic waste making the whole area a danger zone of which the raid operators should be well aware of and be much careful about. What more could it be for the law enforcers who are readily getting in the areas of drug production and risking their lives for the possibility of having the chance to inhale the said fumes. Also, these substances are highly flammable, hence when matters are already in chaos and the things are already blurry during a particular clan lab raid, it could be possible that certain measures of emergency plights should be given particular focus upon. The instance to which these emergencies occur do not only jeopardizes the raid process but also endangers the health of those who are involved in the said procedure. What then has been done for the welfare of these public servants as they try to face the dangers of clan lab for the sake of completing their tasks in protecting the lives of the greater majority in the societies to which they are appointed with The following section shall give a proper presentation of this matter. Through pointing out the different facets of the operational procedures taken into consideration by the national government in equipping their people with the right assistance they need to successfully and securely handle raid operations, the next section shall provide a usable knowledge that could insist on the fact that the government is indeed increasing the competency of their people appointed in handling clan lab case closures to assure that they complete their job well in a less hazardous manner. What the Government Has Done to Prevent the Dangers As of now, the establishment of the Clandestine Laboratory Model Enforcement Programs all around the country creates a fine indication on the preparedness of the people who are appointed to handle the dangerous task of shutting down hazardous and invasive clandestine laboratories that are growing ever so fast around the territories of the United states. Knowing that most of these operators are immigrants from other countries, the level of control that is implied among the personnel who are to face the challenge of dealing with these law offenders is increased especially in connection with language dissemination. Somehow, training the emergency personnel and the law enforcers with regards the psychological background of the offenders provide them a proper sense of edge on the case and on how they are supposed to deal with the matter in a much strategic way. When it comes to health hazards and explosive dangers that might be posed by the raiding operations, the Clandestine Laboratory Model Enforcement Program provides the enforcers and their team the proper approach that they need to utilize during the process so as to assure that they are healthfully secured and are properly placed in their position to assure that the clan lab operators do not pass through the operation just as easy as they want to. The aim is to catch the culprits without endangering the lives of the enforcers. Through these practice sessions and drill operations, the enforcers and their team are given proper picture as to how their operation is likely to happen and how they should readily react during emergencies and operational risks that they may face during the actual raid. These prepares them well not only to catch the culprits but to assure themselves that they health and security are protected the whole time. Conclusion As seen from this particular documented presentation, operating raids and completing the task of closing down clan labs is not an easy task. The danger that the operation itself poses to the lives and the security of the ones who are getting in the situation just to save the many lives of the other few who are living within the area of the said hot locations makes it a hard responsibility to complete especially for law enforcers and for the appointed emergency personnel as well. With the indicated approaches to solving the issue as presented by the government enforcement program on clandestine lab operation foreclosure, it is expected that the enforcers and their team would become more prepared, more efficient and more competent in handling their task securely for the sake of the greater population waiting on them to complete their task to the society. References: U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs/ Bureau of Justice Assistance. Strategic Approaches to Clandestine Drug Laboratory Enforcement. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/fs000247.pdf. (September 17, 2009). Centers for Disease Control. 2000. MMWR. Public Health Consequences Among First Responders to Emergency Events Associated With Illicit Methamphetamine Laboratories - Selected States, 1996 - 1999. MMWR Weekly, November 17, 2000 / 49(45):1021 -1024. Burgess, J. L., Kovalchick, D.F., Siegel, E.M., Hysong, T.A., McCurdy, S.A. 2002. Medical Surveillance of Clandestine Drug Laboratory Investigators. JOEM 44(2) 184 - 189. Burgess, J.L., Barnhart, s., Checkoway, H. 1996. Investigating Clandestine Drug Laboratories: Adverse Medical Effects in Law Enforcement Personnel. Amer. J. of Indust. Medicine 30:488 - 494. Harger, P.N., Spolyar, L.W. 1958. Toxicity of Phosphine with a Possible Fatality from theis Poison. Arch. Ind. Health 18:497 - 504. Willers-Russo, L.J. 1999. Three Fatalities Involving Phosphine Gas, Produced as a Result of Methamphetamine Manufacturing. J. forensic Sci. 44(3): 647 - 652. Burgess, J.L. 2001. Phosphine Exposure from a Methamphetamine laboratory Investigation. Clinical Toxicology 39(2): 165 - 168. Jones, A.T., Jones, R.C., Longley, E.O. 1964. Environmental and Clinicalo Aspects of Bulk Wheat Fumigation with Aluminum Phosphide. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J. 25: 375 - 379. ACGIH. 2001. Documentation of the ACGIH TLV's - Iodine. American Conference of Governmental Hygienists. Cincinnati, OH. CDPHE. 2003. Cleanup of Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs: Guidance Document. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. July, 2003, Denver, CO. ACGIH. 2003. Documentation of the ACGIH TLV's - Hydrogen Chloride. American Conference of Governmental Hygienists. Cincinnati, OH. Washington Department of Health. 2000. Review of Contamination Levels: Guidelines for Clandestine Drug Lab Cleanup. State of Washington. Read More