Duo aiding officers sickened in drug busts

For 22 of Stan Eggen's 26 years with the Provo City Police Department, he worked in narcotics. Eggen, a founding member of the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force, made dozens of methamphetamine-related drug busts every year.

During the task force's first year of operation in 1996, agents shut down 47 meth labs.

Today, Eggen is mostly retired but still does part-time work with the Santaquin Police Department. He suffers from some muscle spasms and lung problems, likely a result of years of exposure to toxic chemicals found in meth labs.

Although Eggen is feeling some of the effects of the dangerous chemicals, his life is going well. This week, he will be married to Tammy Wright.

But some co-workers and colleagues of Eggen who also have worked in narcotics during their law enforcement careers haven't been as fortunate. In fact, Eggen says nearly every member of the task force has suffered health problems. A few have even died.

In 2006, Utah County sheriff's detective Trent Halladay, who had helped bust about 150 meth labs during his career, died of liver cancer at age 37. In May 2005, Midvale police detective Jose Argueta, 32, died of esophageal cancer. Like his law enforcement colleagues, he, too, was responsible for keeping the public safe by shutting down meth labs. In January 2005, a rare form of cancer claimed Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Jade Pusey.

Hundreds of officers from across the state attended the funerals of each man. It was during Halladay's funeral that Wright thought about what could be done to help other officers who were suffering from the same effects.

"Why can't we find a positive reason to get together?" she asked herself as she looked at all the officers present.

That's when Eggen and Wright came up with the idea to turn one of the best events in their lives into something even more positive. In lieu of wedding gifts, the couple is turning their reception into a fund-raiser and asking people to donate to the Utah Narcotics Officers Association Benevolent Fund and Utah Meth Cops Project.

"We've had over 600 special days. It's more than just the wedding," Wright said. "Realizing these officers are out of special days ... if you can give these officers one more special day, it's all worth it.

"Every little bit helps. It's a way to thank these guys who are out risking their lives for us everyday."