RESOLUTION TO SEEK MORE POLICE COOPERATION

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 23, 1992                   TAG: 9201230156
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium
RESOLUTION TO SEEK MORE POLICE COOPERATION
Town Council has unanimously accepted a recommendation for a resolution to be sent to Richmond asking for cooperation between federal, state and local police.
The idea is to prevent another incident in which a local businessman was awakened by FBI agents and state police and mistakenly arrested at his home two years ago.
Local law officers should accompany state police on unannounced raids or arrests within the local jurisdiction, Town Manger John Lemley, Town Attorney W.R.L. Craft Jr. and Christiansburg police Lt. James Epperly said in their recommendation.
"It's our feeling that this could stop a potential tragedy," said Lemley, who - along with the town attorney and the lieutenant - was instructed by the mayor to investigate a request by local businessman James Mensh of Mensh Insurance.
Mensh asked council earlier this month to send the resolution. He was mistakenly arrested in 1989. He thinks federal and state police should be prohibited from coming into a town to arrest anyone without first notifying local police.
Mensh said that if the Christiansburg Police Department had been informed, his situation could have been prevented. He has appeared before the Virginia General Assembly's house militia and police committee and met with a member of the council for the congressional subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights in Washington to plead his federal case.
"I'm very pleased that council made this recommendation," said Mensh, who did not attend Tuesday's meeting. "Hopefully, this will do some good and send a message to legislators that they need to be monitoring themselves a little closer. Someone needs to hold their feet to the fire."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB