Lehigh Acres should be proud of its citizens’ efforts to make our community a better place. The economic downturn has severely strained our resources and contributed to an increase in crime. We will not stand by and allow our community to deteriorate.

Instead, members of our community are actively involved in a solution: Weed and Seed.

The U.S. Department of Justice started Operation Weed and Seed in 1991. Since that time the program has expanded to more than 300 high-crime neighborhoods in the nation.

A suburb of Phoenix, Ariz., saw a 48 percent decrease in drug related calls, weapon offenses drop 28 percent and they created homework clubs that improved end of grade test scores by 130 percent.

The South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. instituted a Weed and Seed Program in 2002 that has resulted in a 38 percent reduction in homicides, a five percent reduction in robberies, a 13 percent reduction in aggravated assaults, a 24 percent reduction in burglaries and 20 percent reduction in drug arrests in the site.

Immokalee had similar successes with its program beginning in 2002. We want the same for Lehigh Acres.

Weed and Seed is a community-based, multi-agency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention and neighborhood restoration. Its strategy is two pronged:

Citizens, law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors work together to “weed out” the worst of the worst criminals from the designated area;

“Seeding” brings enhanced social services, youth and family programs and neighborhood revitalization to the area.

Our steering committee includes a diverse representation of community members and civic organizations as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Human Services and Commissioner Frank Mann. Lehigh Acres’ residents include me, FGCU professor Dr. Terry Busson, Damon Shelor, George Szymanski, Joseph Whalen, Rae Nicely, Deborah Sebastian, and Armando Jorge.

Weed and Seed is successful because it leverages a community’s resources. The result of that leveraging is new partnerships, and more efficient and effective ways of doing business with existing resources. This initiative brought together a dedicated group of people to work on projects that improve Lehigh Acres’ quality of life.

It’s working.

The first public forum in October 2008 attracted nearly 160 residents, of which more than 80 signed up to volunteer. Many more have since volunteered for projects, which include:

Neighborhood restoration: Human Services is working with Weed and Seed members to leverage $18 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding for foreclosed and abandoned homes.

Neighborhood cleanups: About 40 volunteers removed nearly four tons of trash in a January Neighborhood Watch cleanup. More cleanups are planned.

Code Enforcement: Residents are assisting Lee County Code Enforcement personnel in identifying and resolving code violations.

Neighborhood Watch: Our goal is to triple the number of groups in the site from eight to 24. Four new units have already been established since November.

These projects are being accomplished using existing resources. We will continue to do so, and if funded, will use Justice Department grant dollars to supplement our services in the community.

A Weed and Seed evaluation by the National Institute of Justice (http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/175685.pdf) shows that collaborative efforts between law enforcement, social service providers and the community can reduce crime and improve the quality of life in a community.

Please call 477-1485 if you wish to help. Additional information and success stories are available online at www.lehighacreslive.com or www.lehighacresweedandseedproject.info.

Bo Turbeville is chairman of the Weed and Seed Steering Committee.