Pubdate: Thu, 11 Sep 2003
Source: Reporter, The (Fond du Lac, WI)
Copyright: 2003 Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/index.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2271

NORTH FOND DU LAC METH LAB THREAT ILLUSTRATES NEED FOR CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

We congratulate North Fond du Lac residents for voicing their
frustration on the growing threat of methamphetamine labs in their
neighborhoods.

Citizens spoke; police listened. Good for them both.

There have been four crystal meth lab busts in North Fond du Lac
within the past 2 1/2 years. A single meth lab is one too many. Four
labs, as one North Fond du Lac citizen suggests, hints at a crisis in
the making.

Because of the public outcry against meth labs, the North Fond du Lac
Police Department hosted a meth lab informational session last week
that covered a wide variety of topics, including the symptoms and
dangers associated with abusers and the signs of manufacturing.

Educating the public about the signs of methamphetamine production is
the first step in ensuring the community remains free from dangerous
meth labs.

It's up to the citizens of all communities to stay sharp and voice
their concerns and opinions to law enforcement officials about what's
happening in and around their homes.

We encourage more citizens to act as community watchdogs and to be
aware of what they can do to help prevent crime in their
communities.

The public, of course, should not take the law into their own hands.
But the public can be the eyes and ears of the police.

Then it's up to the police to crack down on offenders, as they have
done so effectively in North Fond du Lac. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake