The State of the Union Breakfast of the Zelienople-Harmony Chamber of Commerce was an excellent forum for the communities to be apprised of some problems that are undermining the area's well-being - problems that could worsen if not addressed aggressively.

The message provided by Jackson Township Police Chief Len Keller and Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller at the breakfast should be pondered not only by Chamber of Commerce members but all right-thinking people within the communities in question.

While the problems discussed are not unique to the municipalities, the extent of their inroads into the communities might not have been realized by many residents.

Thus, what the two chiefs disclosed was not only troubling, but eye-opening.

Residents of Zelienople don't like to think of their town as a "home" to the illegal-drug problem. However, it was sobering to hear Miller discuss the recent arrest of a drug dealer who had in his possession 50 bags of heroin when he was apprehended in a store parking lot.

Miller, who pointed out that many of the crimes in his community are drug-related, including many of the break-ins, also focused on identity theft. In discussing that problem, which, like drugs, he said was often regarded as a "big-city problem," Miller recounted the arrest of a beer distributor accused of using a skimming device to steal customers' debit card information.

Meanwhile, Keller sought to put to rest any notion that Jackson Township is a sleepy community where nothing much happens. He said the township police received 3,231 calls for service in 2004, including 390 for criminal complaints and 204 for traffic accidents.

Keller said his department issued 775 traffic citations - not a small record of activity for a municipality where "nothing happens."

The chief attributes the high numbers to what he termed the department's proactive approach to public safety, which has to be a measure of comfort for Jackson residents.

"We're trying to knock that (serious crime) down and increase our percentage of cases cleared," he said.

Miller's reminder that residents can play a direct role in reducing one category of crime should be heeded; doing so would be virtually effortless. He was talking about vehicle thefts.

Only two of the cars broken into in Zelienople during the past year had locked doors when the entry took place, he said.

Keeping vehicle doors unlocked is a virtual invitation to those with less-than-well-meaning intentions.

As many people go about their daily activities, they fail to think about issues that could be working to destroy their community's quality of life. The Zelienople-Harmony State of the Union Breakfast is a positive exception that merits notice by other communities.

During its day-to-day activities, the Chamber must focus on issues directly affecting businesses and industries in the area it serves. But the health of the business community is tied to the health that a community otherwise enjoys or is lacking.

Zelienople and Harmony are right in focusing on the full picture, not just part of it.