Roanoke, Va., residents who feared that a new methadone clinic would increase crime in their community have not had their fears realized. In fact, crime in the neighborhood has actually decreased, the Newport News Daily Press reported Jan. 29.

Police calls to the Roanoke Treatment Center numbered 34 last year, but most of those were for burglar alarms that were accidentally set off. By comparison, a nearby business had 49 police calls.

Total police calls in the surrounding neighborhood fell from 6,956 in 2004 to 6,601 in 2005.

"I don't even know they're up there," said resident Della Miller, one of many local residents who worried about the program opening last January. However, a lawsuit seeking to close the center is still pending in court.

About 150 people now graduate annually from the program. Police said they have not found any take-home doses of methadone being sold on local streets.