REPORTING GROW-OPS A CALL WORTH MAKING

Their operators often set them up smack dab in the middle of
residential neighbourhoods, hoping they'll go unnoticed.

But there are common tell-tale signs of illegal marijuana grow-op
enterprises: people coming and going at all hours, often carrying
garbage bags; a humming sound or a TV or radio playing loudly all the
time; people only entering the home through the garage; windows
covered all the time; a skunk-like smell emanating from the home.

Until recently, many Niagara residents probably didn't think twice if
such things were going on at a neighbour's. That's changing as more
and more people are apparently on the lookout for grow-ops that can
yield vast profits for those that operate them.

Niagara Regional Police busted grow-ops producing marijuana with a
combined street value of more than $14.5 million last year, according
to the most recent police statistics.

The increasing number of grow-op tips is straining Crime Stoppers of
Niagara, which offers cash rewards for calls that lead to
convictions. Although Crime Stoppers doesn't say exactly how much it
has paid out for grow-op tips, the organization's limited budget is
being increasingly drained by such tips.

Many people wrongly believe Crime Stoppers is an arm of Niagara
police. In fact, Crime Stoppers is a federally registered charity
that is funded through its own fundraising activities and through the
donations of individuals, corporations and service groups.

The agency is run on an entirely volunteer basis by people in Niagara
who believe it is a valuable tool in preventing or solving crimes.
Statistics back that up.

Since the inception of Crime Stoppers in 1985, nearly 17,000 tips
have led to 1,297 arrests, helped clear 2,815 cases, led to the
recovery of $3.5 million in property and helped get $8.5 million
worth of narcotics off the street, statistics show.

Officials say marijuana grow-ops pose a life-threatening danger both
to them and to the public.

That's because grow-op operators make modifications to the structures
such as crude hydro bypasses to siphon off vast amounts of hydro to
power the light, alterations to furnaces that can produce deadly
carbon monoxide, and ham-handed wiring inside.

The operations pose dire fire and electrocution hazards, officials say.

There's the old saying that no-one likes a rat. But if snitching on
your neighbour gets one of these grow-ops put out of business and
those responsible behind bars, it was a call worth making.