DATE: Wednesday, April 9, 1997              TAG: 9704090423

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   66 lines

VICTIMS TO HEAR OF JAIL RELEASE THROUGH VINE CHESAPEAKE WILL BE THE FIRST CITY IN VIRGINIA TO USE THE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM.

He had hit her too many times for her to remain silent any longer, so the Chesapeake woman called the police and had her live-in boyfriend arrested.

Then, just as the woman began to recover from the abuse, her boyfriend was released from the City Jail. One of his first actions was to find her and sexually assault her to avenge being sent to jail.

Several years ago, when that assault occurred, crime victims had no way of knowing when suspects were released from jail or transferred to other facilities.

Soon, however, Chesapeake crime victims can be notified when alleged offenders leave the City Jail. Next month, Chesapeake will become the first city in Virginia to implement VINE, Victim Identification & Notification Everyday, a computerized system that calls victims within 10 minutes of a prisoner's release from the Chesapeake City Jail.

The VINE program - a privately funded initiative of Chesapeake Sheriff John R. Newhart - will begin May. 28. Newhart announced the program at a press conference Tuesday at South Norfolk Community Center.

An anonymous benefactor gave Chesapeake several thousand dollars to purchase the computer software, Newhart said. Police officers are being trained to inform crime victims about the free service.

The VINE Co., headquartered in Kentucky, began marketing the service three years ago. Kentucky has implemented the system statewide, so that crime victims are notified of a suspect's movement through all levels of the criminal justice system - from city jails through higher courts or state penitentiaries.

Chesapeake's service will be limited to the City Jail. Crime victims will not be notified of a suspect's whereabouts after he or she leaves the jail. But Newhart already has urged Attorney General James S. Gilmore III to consider expanding the program throughout Virginia. Gilmore expressed interest in the notification system at a law enforcement conference last month.

``We're a pilot program,'' New-hart said. ``But we've got to start somewhere.''

Thirty to 40 suspects a day are released from the Chesapeake jail, said chief deputy Lt. Col. David Newby. Not all of those released are violent offenders. The computerized system will telephone victims far more efficiently than a staff member could, he said.

The system will call a crime victim repeatedly for 24 hours or until the person answers the phone and enters a personal identification number, indicating that the correct person has received the call.

The VINE service is not limited to crime victims, Newhart said. Anyone who is afraid of an alleged offender may be notified of his or her movements from the jail. ``If an apartment manager is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in his apartment building, not only that woman, but maybe all the women in the building, may want to know when he leaves the jail,'' he said.

Calls not answered within 24 hours will be discontinued.

Being notified that a potentially dangerous suspect has been released from jail does not ensure a victim's safety, Newby said. Once notified, crime victims must decide how to protect themselves from future attacks. The sheriff's department provides crime victims with information on battered women's shelters and other services.

``There's no perfect system, but this is 98 or 99 percent more effective than what we have now,'' Newby said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

TO GET HELP

More information about the VINE program is available by calling the

sheriff's office at 382-8824.

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