DATE: Thursday, February 27, 1997           TAG: 9702270454

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B01  EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   40 lines

MANTEO HIRES BETHEL CHIEF TO HEAD ITS POLICE FORCE

After nearly six months of reviewing 129 applications and interviewing dozens of candidates, Manteo has found a police chief.

Francis T. D'Ambra, 33, will start work March 17. He has been the chief of police in Bethel, N.C. for the past five years. Previously, he was employed for 10 years as a police officer in Raleigh.

Bethel is about halfway between Manteo and Raleigh off U.S. 64.

D'Ambra said he applied for the $40,830-per-year post in Manteo as a ``career move.''

``I was looking to kind of broaden my horizons,'' D'Ambra said Wednesday. ``Manteo strikes me as a very progressive town that's steeped in tradition and history but has a lot of potential as an up and coming tourist area.''

D'Ambra said he is a strong proponent of community-oriented proactive law enforcement.

``In my opinion, law enforcement was not designed to tell you how to live your life; it was designed to be participatory. What we're trying to do is let the community have a lot of say in police work - the key is to get the community involved.''

The new chief holds a degree in police science and will soon earn his bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He also has an advanced law enforcement certificate from the state Department of Justice.

D'Ambra said he has had great response from the community-oriented programs he instituted in Bethel, including work to prevent domestic violence and illiteracy - two examples of problems that, if not prevented, will eventually become police matters.

And it's not only intervention that matters, he said. Follow-up makes the difference between success and failure. D'Ambra said he hopes to continue a similar focus in Manteo, while still maintaining his authority.

``Don't get me wrong - we're going to enforce the law,'' he said. ``We're not namby-pamby on crime.''

D'Ambra has a wife, Melissa, and three daughters, Sarah, 8; Madeline, 6; and Delia, 4.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu