As Broome County continues to battle a high crime rate, there has been a major crackdown on meth labs. Early Friday morning, Binghamton police arrested a man who was allegedly operating a mobile meth lab out of his backpack. Vince Briga spoke with an investigator who says safely taking down these individuals can be extremely challenging.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- It was a scary scene in the city early Friday morning when city police arrested 32-year-old William Haight for what started off as a basic warrant arest, but officers quickly realized his backpack contained hazardous materials, they said.

Police were then forced to shut down the street when they believed he was operating a mobile meth lab, which they feared could explode.

"It can be flammable, poisonous, many different ways and now people are able to carry that with them and it's a very difficult thing,” said Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell.

Steve Ward, an investigator for the district attorney's office and a former Binghamton police officer of 21 years, said while the meth problem is fairly new, its long term effects within the county are just as dangerous as any other illegal drug.

"It affects everybody. It's not just the person that's addicted to it. It's not just the drug dealer. It's not just your normal doctor. It affects everybody," said Ward.

Cornwell said the cleanup and resources it takes to take down a mobile meth lab can be very costly.

"It's very, very expensive and time consuming and it's dangerous to people in the area so it's an ongoing problem, but the police to a great job of detecting. What you're seeing is the police doing a good job detecting the people with the mobile meth labs," said Cornwell.

Investigators said when it comes to cracking down on meth labs within the county, it all starts with preparation and the right type of training.

"It's very important to get all the knowledge and training you can possibly get from other departments or other agencies that have seen it. We're all a team, whether we're in Broome, Tioga, Chenango, whatever, so it's important that together," Ward said.

Ward said the county will be investing in even more training on how to handle meth lab situations within the next few weeks.

Haight was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful manufacture of meth.