Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 25, 1992 TAG: 9201270237
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
POLICE MUST ASSUME KIDS ARE PACKING GUNS
THE CITY'S DRUG trade and lack of guidance from parents have helped create\ a youth culture of gunplay that police have little control over - and that puts\ them in constant danger.
In September, Roanoke police Lt. Doug Allen questioned a 13-year-old boy brought in for pulling a pistol on a 30-year-old man during an argument.
"Where did you get the gun?" Allen asked.
"I bought it on the street for $25," the boy answered.
The money was a birthday present. The boy said many of his junior-high classmates carry guns.
The 30-year-old man protected himself by punching the kid in the mouth, angering the boy's parents, Allen said.
"They were not upset because he bought a gun with his birthday money," Allen said. "They were upset because a 30-year-old punched him."
Still, Allen felt compelled to offer the youngster advice. The boy apparently had the pistol tucked in his underwear before he confronted the man.
"Boy, you keep sticking that pistol in your underwear, you're going to end up singing tenor," Allen told him.
While Allen leavens his concerns with humor, he recognizes that kids with guns are nothing to laugh about.
"You find yourself being more cautious. Where you used to assume that kids weren't carrying guns, now you must assume that they are carrying guns."
Allen and other officers say the city's drug trade and a lack of guidance from parents have helped create a youth culture of guns and gunplay that police have little control over - and one that puts them in constant danger.
"I don't think we will ever get ahead of it," Allen said.
Being close to danger is something police officers learn to accept, said Officer Tom Asbury, a 3 1/2-year veteran of the department.
"You can't go out there scared," Asbury said. "You've got to do your job."
On any given night, Roanoke police handle 10 to 15 calls of shots being fired.
Some kids carry guns to protect their turf in the drug trade. Others carry guns to protect themselves from drug dealers.
Police are frustrated as they watch adult dealers slip children $100 a night - many times what they could make in fast-food restaurants - to sell drugs. They know the kids are less likely to get the stiffer penalties meted out to adults.
With the $100 jobs come $100 guns - or more expensive ones.
It's a frustrating battle for police officers. "We win some, we lose some," Asbury said.
Sgt. Ronnie Carlisle remembers one night a few years ago when he was driving near Shenandoah Avenue and saw a 15-year-old boy on a bicycle. It was 2 a.m.
The youngster spotted the police cruiser and quickly turned onto a side street. Carlisle, aware of a rash of burglaries in the area, followed.
When he got close to the boy, Carlisle yelled, "Pull over, I want to talk to you!" The boy stood up on the bicycle's pedals and started going faster. Carlisle accelerated and pulled up beside the kid.
"Stop the bicycle now!" Carlisle commanded.
The boy pulled out a derringer and pointed it at Carlisle.
Carlisle slammed on the brakes as the youngster rolled on down the road. The boy turned and again pointed the pistol at Carlisle before the bike wrecked and the gun went flying and Carlisle arrested boy.
The youngster later bragged outside the courtroom, Carlisle remembers.
"He told others that if he could have shot me, he would have."
Staff writer Mike Hudson contributed to this story.