THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 9, 1997 TAG: 9701090372
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 97 lines
In Courtroom A of the Pasquotank County Courthouse, interim Police Chief Capt. Bill Williams stood before about a hundred residents. Some were notables. Some were not.
``We're going to get to know you on a personal basis,'' Williams said. Seated behind him Tuesday night were a half-dozen state and local law enforcement agents. ``You'll know as much about us as our wives do.''
Williams announced that Elizabeth City is joining other cities across the state and nation in embracing a crime control concept called Community Policing.
``Community Policing is a philosophy that recognizes law enforcement officers are unable to fight crime alone,'' said a pamphlet circulated in the audience, which included representatives from city and county government, officers from every public school and the heads of the three local colleges.
``Citizens, local government officials, public and private agencies, church groups, businesses - anyone with a stake in the community - work with police to find proactive solutions to problems affecting the community's quality of life,'' said the pamphlet.
Community Policing modifies the job description of a police officerfrom law enforcement officer to peacekeeper, said Michael A. Holloman, a Safe Neighborhoods specialist with the North Carolina Department of Justice. Holloman was one of two featured speakers at the meeting.
``Let's face it,'' said Holloman. ``The way we're doing it is not working as well as we'd like. Law enforcement officers use a lot of time waiting for a crime to happen. That's reactive. Peacekeepers do not let the law get broken. That's proactive.''
``Crime normally follows the path of least resistance,'' said Milton Carpenter, a crime prevention specialist with the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.
The three elements necessary for crime are desire, ability and opportunity, said Carpenter, the final featured speaker. Community Policing attempts to remove one or more of those elements. It is a step beyond the traditional Neighborhood Watch groups, he said.
Plymouth, a small town about 60 miles southwest of Elizabeth City, saw one of its worst neighborhoods restored just one year after police and citizens joined efforts.
``We were bothered with lots of drug traffic, loud noise, loitering, everything. Something had to be done,'' said Julia Howington, one of the leaders of the neighborhood group, in a telephone interview Wednesday morning. She meets with the chief of police regularly.
``Now I can sleep at night. They're still here, but they're not as bold. They're not congregating and not yelling at cars.''
Howington, 68, and her neighbors began with 12 people and now have 55 in their group. They raised $4,000 in one month to help buy a fully trained, $8,500 drug dog. The dog and his trainer patrol Howington's neighborhood regularly.
``When you have a group together, this gives you strength,'' said Howington. ``But we couldn't have done it without our police force.''
Plymouth Police Chief Ronald McKimmey also credited teamwork between the community and the police with the success.
``We reduced the crime in that area drastically,'' said McKimmey. ``We can tell a big difference.''
Though Community Policing incorporates dozens of options that depend on the neighborhood and the types of crime, Detective Lt. Joe Tade of the ECPD shared specific techniques for helping police nab drug dealers.
Police detectives need detailed descriptions from residents who spot drug dealers, he said.
``If we know he's wearing a Michigan sweat shirt, then that will help us,'' Tade said.
He added that details such as whether the suspect put his hand in his pants, in his pocket or to his mouth are important.
``If he puts crack cocaine in his mouth and swallows it, then we have no evidence,'' Tade said. He said the dealers can actually pass the crack cocaine rocks through their digestive systems and still sell them.
As part of Community Policing, the Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the Alcohol Law Enforcement agency will work closely with the Elizabeth City Police and the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Department. That portion of the program is called Operation Helping Hand.
Williams said the ECPD will loan a video camera to residents who might catch a drug deal on film.
One resident of Burgess Street stood during the meeting and said she would start reporting the license plate numbers of cars and business vehicles that often come there, she believed, to buy drugs.
Holloman said the Community Policing concept originated out of the University of Michigan in the 1960s but didn't become popular until the mid-1980s. Newport News, Va., was one of the first cities to institute the program.
``I'm thrilled about this,'' said Councilwoman Anita Hummer, who started a community watch group here more than four years ago. ``I think it is going to work.''
Wednesday morning, Williams would not reveal techniques police and residents will use against the most notorious neighborhoods, but promised results.
``We expect change,'' said Williams, who remains acting chief until Monday when the new chief, Michael R. Lloyd, assumes command. Williams has Lloyd's blessings to institute Community Policing.
``We're hoping to see an improvement in our police department, but what we're shooting for is to improve our community,'' Williams.
KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY POLICING