Last year, police busted more meth labs in Indiana than any other state in the country except for Missouri. Many of those labs were found in northern Indiana.

“In northern Indiana, it has increased,” said State Police Trooper Jason Faultstich. “It has become an even greater problem than it was even two or three years ago.”

Police meth lab teams have found and had to dismantle labs just about anywhere, from houses to hotel rooms, and even backpacks and truck trailers. Tracking them down and cleaning them up isn’t cheap.

“Everything has to be thrown away,” said Faultstich. “We have chemical suits … they cost $20-$30 and we can only use them once. When we take samples, we have to use pipettes, glass containers, because all that stuff has to be specifically in certain containers because of the volatility of the chemicals they use.”

Fighting meth is just one part of the expensive war on all drugs. And now, to stay on top of the war, police say they’re involved in a new battle on all fronts. It’s not with the addicts or drug dealers, but with Congress. And it’s a battle for the funds to keep fighting.

Federal funding for the Bryne-JAG grant program has been slashed 86 percent since 2002 from $900 million to $170 today.

“You go from $900 million to $170 million. You’re down to nothing. The bucket’s empty,” said Gary Ashenfelter, Training Director for Indiana’s Drug Enforcement Association.“This is a common sense thing. People say you can do more with less. And I’m telling you that’s bull (expletive.) Nobody does more with less.”

Ashenfelter says police have relied on the grant program for decades not just to fight meth but all drugs. The money pays for everything from equipment to overtime to training. It also pays for community-based prisoner re-entry programs and programs for victims of violent crimes.

Indiana’s portion has gone from $10 million a decade ago to just $1.8 million for this year. Ashenfelter plans on heading to Washington, D.C. next month to ask lawmakers to do something.

“When you lose money to fight crime, you can expect crime to go back up. The Hoosier people, the American people better understand that's going to happen,” said Ashenfelter. “And despite our efforts, our best efforts, we're not going to be able to suppress all of it. That's just the way it is.”

The head of Indiana’s Meth Suppression Unit says he’s not sure specifically how the cuts will affect them. He says they’ll have to look at cuts, but “we certainly won’t be rolling up the carpet.”

In a letter to law enforcement agencies across the state, the head of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute told police it's time to start looking for extra funding wherever they can.

Thursday, Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-2nd District) issued the following statement regarding the Byrne-JAG Grant cuts:

“Congressman Donnelly is a strong supporter of the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, which provides crucial resources to local law enforcement for crime and drug prevention efforts. In fact, in September, Congressman Donnelly joined Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia in introducing legislation to reauthorize the program through 2012. Additionally, he is joining his colleagues in sending a letter to House Leadership asking that an additional $429.6 million for the Byrne-JAG program be included in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental appropriations package to make up for the reduced level that was included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill.”

Police say another big weapon in the war on meth comes from the public. They've uncovered a lot of meth labs from people calling in to report something suspicious.

For information on what to look for, click on the "Meth Free Indiana Coalition" link in the Related Content box.