The drug abatement project relies on a new State law that allows municipalities to take action against a drug house as a public nuisance. The police drug abatement team receives information about possible drug houses through law enforcement telephone hotlines, calls made to the police department's narcotics unit, and police reports; however, the single most prominent source of drug house referrals is the Cooperation West Side Association's drug abatement team liaison. This is a well- established community organization. This liaison receives and screens calls from neighborhood residents regarding suspected drug-house activity and passes information on to the police drug abatement team. A major aim of the drug abatement program is to remove the threat to public safety and neighborhood stability that drug houses pose. A majority of drug-abatement cases have been resolved by voluntary action by the property owner of the drug house, and most of these cases were resolved through pretrial negotiation. Police statistics on reported crime suggest that the drug abatement program is helping to lower crime rates in the area. Moreover, community organizers report that many residents feel safer in their neighborhoods. The project has successfully implemented a community-policing model and has resulted in a new, mutually beneficial relationship between police and community groups. 1 table and 2 figures