NEIGHBORS CAN BAND TOGETHER FOR PROTECTION

Southeast Missouri is seeing surprisingly few residents organizing neighborhood watch programs, especially considering the hold methamphetamine and other drugs have taken on the area, plus the associated crime.

Cape Girardeau only has two official watch programs, with a third in the making. One participant, Jodi Treece of Cousin Street, cared enough to go door-to-door with a police officer soliciting her neighbors' participation. Some of the residents, incredibly enough, hadn't heard of neighborhood watch programs. Others didn't want to get involved.

But why not? What negative could come from it?

Treece hopes to get the drug dealers to move from in front of her house and away from her three young children. A South Ellis Street resident, Ron Acord, said his neighborhood watch was successful at getting litterbug drug dealers to move along.

Certainly, there is no better reason for neighbors to come together than for the protection of their homes, families and property values.