COMMUNITY MUST TAKE ACTIVE ROLE TO STEM CRIME PROBLEM

Last year in this space we floated a theory that area residents feel
safe in their neighborhoods. Actually, the editorial concerned
dwindling attendance at West Hazleton Crime Watch meetings and it
pointed out, "we're not aware of any burglary or vandalism sprees,
the kind of crimes that strike fear into neighborhoods."

Things have really changed in a few short months. We don't think
we're stretching the truth when we say that Hazleton area residents
no longer feel safe. In fact, the fear is almost palpable.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the cause of this fear is a
drug problem that has grown out of control. Law enforcement
officials, social workers and educators have been telling us this for
at least a year and now it appears that most parents are starting to
believe them.

For evidence, you need only scan recent newspaper headlines.

In the past two weeks Hazleton police have arrested several people
and charged them with selling drugs. The most recent arrest came
Tuesday night when police picked up 25-year-old Johnny Caicedo of
East Diamond Avenue after he allegedly sold cocaine to an undercover
state trooper. Police said Caicedo was a "main drug dealer" in the
area.

Like many other accused drug dealers arrested here in the last year,
Caicedo is a relatively recent arrival in Hazleton, having moved here
about two years ago from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Last Friday Hazleton police arrested 22-year-old Ivan Mendoza on drug
charges. During questioning before District Justice Joseph Zola,
Mendoza admitted that he came to Hazleton because he was told he
could make money here by selling drugs.

Judging from other recent headlines, the dealers have no trouble
finding buyers. And that's what has people concerned.

Those buyers need money to buy expensive narcotics and, increasingly,
they are turning to more violent methods of getting money. Three
nights this week pedestrians were the victims of armed robberies on
the streets of Hazleton and West Hazleton. A decade ago that kind of
incident was unheard of in Hazleton, where people often bragged about
our safe streets.

Two recent incidents in the local schools demonstrated how deeply
drug abuse has sunk. At West Hazleton Middle School, three students
are facing expulsion and 14 others were suspended after a 14-year-old
boy apparently passed around Adderall, a prescription drug used to
treat narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder. At Heights-Terrace
Elementary/Middle School, a 12-year-old girl was found to be under
the influence of ecstasy, the popular club drug.

Sadly, those incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. Those who
work in the local schools will say privately that they suspect many
students, some as young as 12 or 13, often come to class under the
influence of drugs. This afternoon, school district officials will
release a report on drug and alcohol use among Hazleton Area High
School students.

Serento Gardens, the region's alcohol and drug counseling service,
has been renewing its efforts to educate parents about the dangers of
drug abuse.

And the Greater Hazleton Area Drug Free Task Force has called a
community meeting for next Tuesday to look into the problem. "For
three years now, the Task Force has been attempting to make our
community more aware and concerned about the escalating drug problem
in the area," task force member Lee Ann Davidovich said.
"Unfortunately, the recent events in our schools and on our streets
have helped reinforce the notion that these events are happening here
every day."

Parents should make every effort to attend Tuesday's meeting. It's
scheduled for 7 p.m. on the second floor of the CAN DO building at
Broad and Church streets and will feature law enforcement officials,
drug counselors, drug prevention experts and juvenile probation
authorities.

It's not too late to save our kids and take back our streets.