A grassroots effort to form an organization to help police combat illegal drug use in Butler will get under way Wednesday.

A meeting to create a Neighborhood Drug Watch will be held at 7 p.m. in the Public Safety Building on North Washington Street.

Spearheading the effort is Kathy Kline, a former three-term member of Butler City Council, who said city police and officials are supporting the organization.

The idea behind the drug watch is for residents to notify police, by calling 911 or sending an email to a new police account, if they see a drug sale or drug activity in their neighborhood.

Drug dealers and abusers will eventually catch on and move on, Kline said.

“They don’t want to be seen. If they think they’re going to be watched and seen, they’ll go elsewhere,” said Kline, who was the head of the city’s public safety department.

Mayor Ben Smith, Councilman Corey Roche, who heads the public safety department, and police Lt. Chad Rensel will be speaking at the meeting, Kline said.

A full report will appear in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.