Stumbling through the rubble I found my little girl - her body motionless. My heart stopped as I knelt close to her frail little body, begging God for mercy.

Where my daughter chose to "hang out" when she was a teenager there was no neighborhood watch program. This "drug house" as I¹d like to call it was very much like the one that got shut down just months ago, here in Rantoul.

For over seven years one area in our little village of Rantoul was ruled by drug dealers, their violence, their filth and their destruction. But in October of 2003 a neighborhood watch program was organized by concerned citizens, in that area, changing everything.

Banning together these people took a stand and with the help of local law enforcement, and village inspectors they were able to get that housing unit shut down and the area cleaned up in just two months.

No longer do the people from that neighborhood have to tolerate drug traffic, wild parties or stereos blaring. They no longer have to wake up to beer bottles and trash strewn through their yards. Now they can open their windows for a breath of fresh air and sit on their patios even after the sun goes down.

Neighborhood Watch programs are one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear in our neighborhoods. These programs create bonds among area residents and businesses while helping to reduce burglaries and robberies, as well as improving relations between police and the communities they serve.

Our children are priceless. We cannot replace them. And as much as we'd like to be where they are every minute of every day. We cannot. Grant it some parents just do not care. But for those who do. For those who cannot be right there all the time, we desperately need an extended family - our neighborhood watch groups - to keep a watchful eye. That's what community is all about.

A few of the things Neighborhood Watch Members watch out for are: someone screaming or shouting for help, someone looking into windows and parked cars, unusual noises, property being taken out of houses where no one is at home or a business is closed, cars, vans, or trucks moving slowly with no apparent destination or without lights, anyone being forced into a vehicle, a stranger sitting in a car or stopping to talk to a child, abandoned cars.

It's also helpful for the Neighborhood Watch Team to report when young children are routinely out past dark or curfew, or riding their bikes without concern for motorist.

There are 13 Neighborhood Watch Groups in Rantoul. If you do not know who your Neighborhood Leader is or if you are interested in getting a group going in your block, contact the Rantoul Police Department. The Rantoul Police are working diligently with our neighborhood watch groups to protect our community and make it a safer place to live. They really do care.

It was hearing how our neighborhood watch team cleaned up a drug house that reminded of how helpless I was that morning I held my daughters¹ lifeless body so close to mine. Her near death experience with drugs and alcohol could very well have been your neighbor's child, a grandchild, or even one of your own children.

Don't be afraid to take your neighborhood back. It could very well be a matter of life or death. See what you can do to make the August 3rd, 2004, National Night Out a great success! It's America's Night Out Against Crime!

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