THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 9, 1995 TAG: 9503070037
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
This is a statement from the Norfolk City Council in support of Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High:
Media interest in the morale survey recently released by the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers has brought under scrutiny a respected professional, Police Chief Melvin C. High.
Norfolk City Council and city administration would be remiss if they didn't voice support for the chief, who was selected for leadership at a pivotal time in the police department's history.
This council and administration are proud of the dedicated men and women who comprise the police force. But change has reached the Norfolk Police Department. We believe Chief High may be bearing personally the brunt of criticism that should be put in larger perspective.
The challenges facing today's police officers are stressful. These include a shift in philosophy to community policing, a younger and more violent criminal element, more intense public scrutiny and the fiscal stress of cities trying to equip their officers to meet the challenges of the streets. Chief High's job is to help police personnel deal with constant change.
We believe that is exactly what he's doing. Chief High has brought to this police force a more responsive, disciplined approach. A persistent problem has been the failure of a few police officers to appear in court. As a result, a few cases have had to be dismissed. Even a single case is unacceptable. Some officers say that court appearances interfere with their part-time jobs or their off time. That is regrettable, but there must be some recognition of the greater responsibility here. One reason Chief High may have become unpopular is because he has disciplined officers who fail to appear.
The police survey says a 20-year retirement package would address officers' needs rather than the 25- or 30-year system presently in place. This issue has been brought to city management and is currently under study by a blue-ribbon citizen retirement-study committee. But we would be remiss if we didn't view this in terms of the fiscal impact on taxpayers and the balance of our employees. When the final recommendations are brought to us, we will review them in that context.
The survey further indicated that respondents felt that police personnel should be issued take-home cars and portable radios. City Council and city administration support the governor's plan to encourage law-enforcement officials to move into urban areas. To augment this, city administration proposed, and we support, the phase-in of take-home vehicles for police officers who purchase homes in Norfolk. We will evaluate this pilot project to determine if it does result in any real benefit to the citizenry. However, a program that would provide take-home vehicles for all police officers living in Norfolk in one fell swoop would cost millions of dollars.
This city has often said public safety is a top priority. We have lived up to that statement. This fiscal year Norfolk budgeted $64 million to public-safety efforts. Norfolk police officers are paid very competitively. A starting police officer here makes $25,634, which is more than counterparts in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Norfolk provides its officers a gun allowance, a benefit no other Hampton Roads locality provides.
The presentation of the survey (which was conducted by the police and not a neutral, third-party research firm) was carefully orchestrated. It was presented to City Council at a regular Tuesday meeting in news-conference style complete with media and with almost no warning. Not one council member or city administrator was granted the courtesy of being able to read the survey before its presentation, not even the mayor, who met with the FOP on Feb. 15.
As a result, we were unable to comment knowledgeably on it to media and members of the public attending this staged event. The timing of this presentation comes as city administration is working on a budget to present to council. The public-safety community has a history of becoming quite vocal during the budget process. All Norfolk police chiefs have borne the brunt of budget complaints, not just Chief High.
In closing, we repeat our strong support for the chief. His appointment was the result of a nationwide search. While these are difficult times for our public-safety forces, much has been accomplished. Crime dropped 10.5 percent in 1994, the largest single-year reduction in 22 years. The decrease for 1991-1994 stands at 23 percent. We fully believe that much of this decrease is attributable to our public-private partnership PACE. We found it discouraging that the police survey so roundly criticized this initiative.
For these accomplishments, the Norfolk police force and the citizens of this city deserve a great deal of credit. It appears to us there is far more reason to celebrate than to complain. by CNB