THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510010055
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATE HUNGER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Paul Farquharson came all the way from the Bahamas for a little advice.
Nassau's chief superintendent of police joined about 100 other members of the International Association of Police Community Relations Officers in Portsmouth Saturday for the group's 24th annual training conference. Farquharson's reasons for attending mirrored those of many of his colleagues: a desire to combat and prevent crime through improved police-community relations.
A key theme of the conference was the need for parents to be responsible in preventing juvenile crime. Three of eight sessions Friday and Saturday were devoted to juvenile issues, including gang violence and lack of parental guidance.
Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Alotha Willis said Friday that youths are left on their own far too often.
``It's a world peopled by juveniles,'' Willis told about 40 people Friday. ``You never see any adults in `Charlie Brown,' either. . . . Parents don't come in. How does your child have a date with the court and you don't come in? Parents, where are we?''
Willis challenged the audience - made up of officers, police chiefs and activists - to define the distinction between the court's responsibility and parents' responsibility for curbing juvenile crime. What emerged was an almost unanimous call for holding parents accountable for their children's crimes and misbehavior.
Amid wistful yearnings for the ``good old days,'' John Patterson Sr., a retired director of police community relations in Greensboro, N.C., said wishful thinking accomplishes little.
``We're not going to back where we used to be. Forget about that,'' Patterson said. ``We've got to learn new mechanisms, different ways to cope. What we've done is let the horse out of the barn - and he's way down there.''
Discussion of youth crime continued Saturday with attention to gangs, violence and drugs.
John H. Talley, a special agent with the Norfolk office of the FBI, warned that, without action, Virginia could see gang activity increase, and that such growth could erode one of the commonwealth's key industries: tourism.
``Gangs are moving from the West Coast to the East Coast, and all jurisdictions should be aware of gang activity in their areas,'' he said.
In a different session, retired Richmond police chief Marty M. Tapscott, outlined circumstances that contribute to crime within groups, such as the African-American community He, too, went back to the children.
Youths trapped in an environment of crime, gangs, drugs and alcohol abuse must be reached by the ages of 3 to 5, Tapscott said. Waiting longer, he said, makes the job harder.
Tapscott advocated a ``new attitude'' for police officers, emphasizing commitment to the communities they serve. But he said recent events have made forging closer bonds with citizens more difficult.
Citing the O.J. Simpson trial and allegations of official misconduct and racism, Tapscott said police aren't always held in high esteem.
``When this kind of information is put in the paper and on the TV, the community loses trust,'' he said, referring to some African-American communities.
Using Richmond as an example, Tapscott said in most homicide cases, the offender and victim are from the same neighborhood. He asked the audience to examine communities' circumstances, including often ``fragile'' families, educational systems, and housing and employment opportunities.
Not all conference work was done in workshops. Sharing ideas in informal discussions was just as helpful as the sessions, said Virginia state trooper Eric R. Van Fossen.
``A conference like this is getting the message out that we have all kinds of roads and solutions, and people are there to help all over the country,'' Van Fossen said. ``It's all of us in a war against crime. We're all the same people; we're all the same citizens.'' by CNB