THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505140039
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
When former police chief Henry Henson proposed that 306 more officers on Norfolk's force would make Norfolk a much safer city, he stirred debate from city hall to Ocean View.
The cost of adding the officers would be about $11.5 million for just the first year. Home owners with property assessed at $81,000 - the city's average - would face a tax increase of $105.
Readers of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star were asked their opinions when an article on Henson's plan was published last Sunday. There was no consensus. Some readers agreed with Henson, others were skeptical. Some said that individual residents and the city could do many other things to reduce crime.
At least one Norfolk resident, however, said she would not mind paying for more police officers.
``I agree that we do need more policemen,'' said Dorothy Miller, who lives in the Lenox section off Tidewater Drive near Ocean View Golf Course. ``It would make everyone feel safer, and I think that the increase in the taxes would be well worth it.''
A Park Place resident, Troy Flippen, said that if more police officers were available, crime would drop and property values would increase.
``With reduction in crime, more people would come here . . . which would bring more taxes to the city that could pay for more teachers,'' he said.
A Virginia Beach reader, Dave Howard, had opinions that could be applicable to any city.
``Don't make the solution to this problem a choice between schools and police,'' he said. ``Education is our best bet at ending the root causes of some criminal behavior. However, since people rarely wait until they are grown to begin lives of crime, we need to make responsibility a much larger part of the equation.''
``Parents of offenders under 18 should be made to pay for the cost of their children's crimes,'' said Howard. ``If they can't or won't raise them properly, paying the price may be the incentive they need to take THEIR responsibility seriously.''
Ginny Blamire, who lives in the Princess Anne Park section, wants the city to be cleaned up. She said ``eyesores'' - such as Scope, parts of Granby Street, and Monticello and Brambleton avenues - could benefit from $11.5 million.
And ``how about more trade schools for these young kids,'' she said.
A retired couple, Beulah and Thurston Eatmon of Coleman Place, recoiled at Henson's suggestion that Norfolk residents pay higher taxes for more police officers.
``Where is the money coming from?'' they wrote. We ``understand the need for more money, but enough is enough.''
Spending the money on police officers may not guarantee success in stemming crime, other readers said. The money would be better spent on bigger jails to house criminals, particularly repeat offenders, for longer periods of time.
Fewer criminals, they said, equal safer streets.
Flippen, the Park Place resident, said his perception of safety comes not from more police officers but from his own precautions.
``You don't see me walking through the worst parts of town at 3:00 in the morning. But I feel I should be able to go to more places.''
Additional officers cannot be used simply to catch speeders or check traffic meters, Flippen said. They need to be targeted in high-crime areas.
Elizabeth Masten of Colonial Place said she is not sure whether Norfolk needs more officers.
``It always seems like we need more but I certainly don't want to give up other services,'' she said.
It is ironic, Masten said, that with such a large military presence, crime is still a big problem.
``Why can't the military help in solving this crime problem? It is war against the U.S. to have crime like this.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP
Readers shared their thoughs these [sic] questions, which
appeared last Sunday.
How do you define safety? When do you know that you're safe?
What needs to happen to make your neighborhood safe? Are you
doing enough? Are your neighbors doing enough?
Who else contributes to making a safe neighborhood?
How would you describe a police officer's job? How do they meet
your description?
What are the consequences of adding more police officers? What
are the consequences of keeping the same number?
What would you be willing to pay more for: another cop on the
street or another teacher in the classroom?
What would you be willing to give up in order to get more police
officers? Cuts in schools? City services? What?
What's missing from this debate? What thoughts do you have that
no one is addressing?
by CNB