U.S. Attorney for Nebraska speaks at CSC

Heavican said anti-terrorism is the No. 1 priority of the U.S. Justice Department as it seeks to protect the citizens from what he called “the next inevitable terrorist attack.”

While Heavican said Nebraska is not regarded as a hotspot for terrorist activity, he asked the CSC students to report any strange activities that they observe to local law enforcement agencies. He said the citizen surveillance that his office is seeking ties in well with the Crime Stoppers program.

“We’ve seen what terrorists will do around the world to impose their beliefs on us,” Heavican stated. “If you see something that doesn’t belong, help us out by reporting it.”

Methamphetamine is a huge, growing problem, U.S. attorney noted. He said the drug has become a problem even in several of smallest communities around the state. He said meth is “incredibly addictive” and leads its victims to a miserable life that is usually shortened by many years.

“Stay away from all drugs, but in particular stay away from meth,” Heavican advised. “Within a matter of months, your body will be shrunken and your teeth and hair will fall out.”

He added that once a person is addicted to meth, statistics indicate that less than 20 percent are successfully rehabilitated.

Appointed to his position by President Bush three years ago, Heavican said meth labs are often found in motel rooms, car trunks and abandoned farm buildings, and are potentially dangerous in themselves. He said children of those manufacturing meth are frequently victims of both neglect and the explosions that can occur.

Drugs are the primary cause of much criminal activity and is nearly always in the background of the homeless, Heavican said. He added that is why his office vigorously prosecutes those who are involved with drugs. Third offense drug dealing can carry a lifetime federal prison sentence with no chance of parole.

Possession of just five grams of pure meth or crack cocaine nets a five-year prison sentence, he said.

“And, sooner or later anyone involved in drugs is going to get caught,” he said. “There’s no place in the state that you can hide without eventually getting caught.”

Last year, Heavican said, his office prosecuted about 1,000 cases with more than 600 of them involving drugs and two-thirds of those involving meth.

Heavican said because of vigorous prosecution, progress is being made in curtailing gun violence. He said violent gun crimes are at a 30-year low in the U.S., with remarkable reductions seen in cities such as New York, Boston, Kansas City and St. Louis.

He called guns “a tool of the drug trade” and said gang activity is usually involved in gun violence. More than half of the 200 gun violence cases prosecuted by his office last year originated in Douglas County where Omaha is located, he said

When convicted on the federal level, Heavican said a felon in possession of a firearm will receive a two-to-five-year prison sentence.

Laws mandate that drug dealers possessing a gun will get an additional five-year prison sentence, the speaker pointed out. Possessing a gun while manufacturing meth could be a federal offense even if the perpetrator does not intend to sell the drug.

Heavican added that the same indignation by the public needs to be placed on drugs as has been applied to drunk drivers through the Mothers Against Drunk Driving program. He said the latter program has helped lower the number of highway deaths involving alcohol the past five years.