DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708260504

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: NEIGHBORHOOD EXCHANGE 

TYPE: PUBLIC LIFE 

SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

HALL PLACE BIKE PATROL RECLAIMS STREETS

Hey, bad guys! Don't you know? `` Don't mess with Texas!''

Especially when Texas moves to Suffolk.

Meet Maria Moore, Texas native and organizer of Suffolk's Hall Place Bicycle Patrol, a citizens' anti-crime posse that rides almost every night to let bad guys know that the good guys care about the neighborhood.

``A year ago, believe it or not, I was afraid to get out of the house,'' said Moore, who moved to the downtown neighborhood from Kingsville, Texas, two years ago. ``I had noticed there were drug deals. In fact, there were people smoking marijuana right in my front yard.''

Moore had enough.

``There's a time when you have to get angry. So I got angry. I said, `I'm not going to have my kids grow up in a place like this!' ''

She chased the dope smokers with a stick.

And she began urging neighbors to get involved, comparing vigilance to spraying bug repellent on creepy crawlers.

By this spring, Hall Place had a walking patrol to fight crime and report violations such as junk cars, tall weeds and dilapidated houses.

A month ago, Moore suggested they start a bike patrol to make a greater impression by riding every street at least twice a night. That would be more eye-catching, said Moore, owner of a graphic design company.

``It's a lot easier to get around . . . better than walking,'' she said. Bike patrolers tote cell phones to report emergencies and festering problems. Mostly, though, they build community spirit by chatting with neighbors sitting on porches, mowing lawns or strolling the tree-lined streets.

They learn which residents have trouble with yard work or home repairs, and often find help from a civic-league volunteer.

The riders, sporting blaze-orange safety vests, feel they contribute to the neighborhood. ``We're trying to get the idea out that you don't need a policeman to help you every time you turn around,'' said Mike Wyatt, 47, a lifelong resident.

Parents take children. ``I try to get him involved,'' Thomas Lewis, 47, said of his son, Thomas Jr., 8.

Children take pride. ``There's not as much trash as there used to be and not as many people hanging out and doing drugs,'' said Moore's son, Joshua, 11.

Many residents notice, too.

``It's good that somebody cares that much,'' said Ellen Gay, a 36-year resident.``I'm not as scared.''

The improvements motivate greater aspirations. Wyatt wants families to resume picnicking at ``Tree Park'' at South Main Street and Hall Avenue.

But he is disappointed that most businesses haven't helped out, even though patrolers check shop doors and windows at night.

Moore believes the patrol will gain more community support over time. ``People say, `Are you the Neighborhood Watch?' '' she said. ``We say, `Yes - and we're watching.' '' Story ideas for this column? Call Mike Knepler, 446-2275. MEMO: For more information about the Hall Place Bicycle Patrol, call

Maria Moore, 539-8513. ILLUSTRATION: Maria Moore

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