THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502110039
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
Harold ``Butch'' Schupska paused every few feet along Lafayette Boulevard, trying doorknobs on businesses closed for the night.
Then he walked the side streets of the nearby Fairmount Park neighborhood. There, he found opportunities in the form of vacant houses with open doors or windows.
But don't worry. Schupska is one of the good guys.
He even praises dogs that bark when he walks through the neighborhood.
Schupska is one of about 20 volunteers in the citizens patrol of Fairmount Park, Lafayette-Winona and Ballentine Place. In small groups, they walk, bicycle or drive through their communities.
Besides looking for signs of possible break-ins, patrol members also note suspicious-looking characters, blighted property, and hazards like badly broken sidewalks. They report problems to police or city agencies.
``We're not a police department. We're all civilians that care about the community we live in,'' said Schupska, 42. He and his wife, Peggy, are among several married couples in the organization.
The patrol has operated for two years. Most members have attended two, eight-hour training sessions given by police. They have a modified uniform of blue T-shirts, baseball caps and jackets.
Flashlights, whistles and cans of Mace are musts. Each patrol also carries a walkie-talkie for communicating with the Community Mini-Police Station, 2310 Lafayette Blvd.
There, Sharon Lucas, volunteer dispatcher, calls any urgent problems to police. She keeps a log and tracks the patrol on a huge neighborhood map hanging on the wall.
Schupska, a first-class petty officer in the Navy, joined the patrol about 1 1/2 years ago.
``I work with law enforcement in the Navy, and I feel that I could apply the skills I was taught and help the people out here, give them a little more heads-up of what to look for,'' he said. ``Plus it gives you a chance to know your neighborhood.
``I've learned where the drug houses are located. And I've learned that there are a lot of people who want to keep the community safe.
``When we go out, we make it a point to chat with anyone on the street or their porches and explain the program.''
Patrol members say suspected drug dealers know they are watched. ``Sometimes they'll send a runner to follow us for a while to check what we're doing,'' Schupska said.
But patrol members say they haven't had to fear for their safety.
``There's a lot of us, and we have radios to call the police. They're very protective of us,'' said Shirley Gedmin, 67, a retired medical technologist.
Like Schupska, she joined to help her neighborhood. ``It was either get involved in the church or go back to the hospital and volunteer there,'' Gedmin said. ``I felt that I had been in the hospital so long that I'd rather get into some other activity.''
Another benefit, patrol volunteers said, is the exercise: walking or bicycling up to three hours, twice a week.
``Believe it or not, I get a second wind after spending all day at work because I love to do this,'' Schupska said. ``All this is volunteer work. But if we don't do it, who else is going to do it?'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
Harold ``Butch'' Schupska
Shirley Gedmin takes information about a vehicle that could be cited
if it's not running. Gedmin and others are working to clean up
Fairmount Park, Lafayette-Winona and Ballentine Place
neighborhoods.
Graphic
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Some localities are already working to make residents more active in
governing.
If you're interested in getting involved in community efforts that
can improve your neighborhood or effect change in your city,
contact the following for advice, support or information:
Norfolk: Heather Stone, a management analyst with the city. Stone
conducts citizen surveys and is organizing quarterly forums for
civic league presidents to talk with Mayor Paul D. Fraim. She also
is organizing a Feb. 25 forum to educate citizens on how to do
business with city hall. 441-5145.
Virginia Beach: Carol Williams, neighborhood services administrator
with the department of housing and neighborhood preservation. She
can give tips on organizing civic leagues, and she teaches leaders
to make effective presentations on community concerns. Her program
also offers conflict management training. 426-5753.
Portsmouth: Sheila Pittman, the city clerk. She will schedule city
council members to come to civic group meetings. Currently council
members are visiting civic leagues in pairs to discuss the city's
goals and to get citizen input on setting direction for the city.
393-8639.
Portsmouth citizens who want to participate in study groups on race
relations and racial diversity can call Pat Hines in the city's
personnel office at 393-8874. The next groups will begin March 7.
by CNB