TAKING A BITE OUT OF CRIME

With Wheeling Island made too hot for them, it was to be expected that
those dealing in illegal drugs would shift their activities to elsewhere in
the city.

With help from those living in the affected neighborhood, authorities can
chase the slime out of their new lair, too. Members of the Island Community
Association were commended by law enforcement officials last week, for
helping in the fight against illegal drugs. Wheeling Island residents
"deserve a lot of credit," commented Thomas Johnston, who is U.S. Attorney
for the Northern District of West Virginia.

Indeed they do. Community assistance can make the difference between merely
inconveniencing drug dealers and putting them out of business. People who
live in affected neighborhoods can be invaluable as eyes and ears for
authorities. That's what happened on Wheeling Island, leading up to the
arrest of 31 people in December.

But, as Wheeling Police Officer Rob Marriner noted last week, it is
difficult to stamp out the problem entirely. After December, "drugs have
picked up in East Wheeling," he explained.

We doubt that will continue for long - because East Wheeling residents are
as determined as their neighbors on the Island to take a bite out of crime.
We encourage East Wheeling residents to help police do just that.Wherever
It Is in Wheeling