Concerned residents met in Berwick Monday night to talk with law enforcement on a growing issue, the increase of methamphetamine labs in the borough.
Known commonly as meth, it a powerful and easy to make stimulant.
Berwick police say they've made more than two dozen meth lab busts in the last year and a half.
People packed the community room at the McBride Library in Berwick for one important and growing concern, the increase of meth labs in the borough.
“No, no it`s scary, it`s very scary, it could be your next door neighbor,” said Cindy Moore.
“It is here in Berwick, yes it is and I have a family site, rental property and so I`m very concerned, you know what they have to say and any tips they might give us looking for something,” said Kathy Albertson.
And that was the goal of the meeting.
Hosted by the Berwick Anti-Drug Alliance, the effort was to show residents how to spot potential meth labs.
On display were the common household products used for meth making.
“The problem with methamphetamine is that it doesn`t take a whole lot of skill to go and cook it up yourself,” said Maxim Furek, the founder of the Alliance.
Berwick police brought a map of the borough with red and yellow pins stuck to various locations.
The red pins show where used meth lab materials were dumped and found; the yellow pins show where 27 meth labs have been busted since October 2010.
“The police are not only talking the talk, they`re walking the walk,” said Peter Talanca, a Berwick council member. “And they`re sending message out there, we`re not going to put up with this no more.”
Police Chief Ken Strish says that`s not even the total amount of lab busted to date.
“Obviously we`ve left out the investigations that are actually current, those are not depicted on the map,” said Chief Strish.
And Berwick police say the fact the drug is cheap and easy to make is the main reason it`s on the rise.
“It`s different than the other drugs, it`s all household materials that you can use to make and manufacture the product so it is relatively easy to do,” said Chief Strish.