OUR VIEW: Neighbors who stand vigilant make impact

A group of Woodbury neighbors didn’t just gripe about suspicious activity after they witnessed it. They did something.

That something resulted in the arrest of an alleged drug dealer, as reported in this week’s news pages.

The neighbors knew what they were seeing looked suspicious: multiple cars dropping by the house for brief visits. The suspect going out to meet with people in the driveway quickly. Textbook drug activity, by the sound of it.

But these residents went a step farther. They dutifully documented the activity using an Excel spreadsheet. The list chronicled 104 alleged short-term visits at the residence since December 2010.

The neighbors turned the information over to the cops, who went to work investigating the suspect. Shortly after, they made an arrest in the case. One man now stands charged with selling marijuana to minors.

The point is not to single this guy out. His alleged activities aren’t terribly remarkable. Instead, we want to single out the group of residents because their actions were. They did the right thing. They didn’t turn a blind eye to crime.

They saw something that didn’t seem right and took note. It ought to be a lesson for the rest of us.

No, we’re not calling on residents to be snoops, peeping Toms or gossips. We are, however, reminding people to trust their gut instincts when things don’t seem right. And then to act on it – not with violence or retaliatory action, but by contacting the proper authorities.

It’s just that sort of action that keeps neighborhoods and communities strong.

Tags: our view, opinion, editorial, updates