Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308240408
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"What are you doing here?" one of the men snapped. The other pulled back his jacket to show Smith a pistol.
"I'm leaving," Smith said. Then he backed away.
That's the message police tried to impart to employees of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority in its new training program, which wrapped up a second session Thursday.
"You are seen as having a position of authority," said Lt. William Althoff, who heads the city Police Academy. "The emphasis is on protecting you. You don't want to end up in the hospital, or worse yet, the morgue in the hospital."
Thursday's class and one earlier this month were the first time training by police officers has been offered to housing authority employees. The class, which attracted about 40 managers, maintenance and administrative workers from public housing developments throughout the city, is part of the city Police Department's Community Oriented Policing Effort, or COPE, Althoff said.
Althoff and James Fazio, a COPE officer, showed employees gathered at the community room at Lansdowne housing development how to stay out of the middle of violent domestic disputes or criminal activity.
"People need to be aware of what to do in these situations," said Percy Cunningham, a maintenance worker at Hurt Park housing complex. "It helps me."
Althoff said he hopes the training will not only help employees but also promote teamwork with police in combating potential problems. But he doesn't want housing authority employees to take unnecessary risks.
He encouraged them to keep their distance and let police handle domestic situations that get out of hand. At the very least, he said, the employees should not become embroiled in disputes or arguments that they are ill-equipped to resolve.
"These things have built up a long time before you get there," Althoff said. "The pressure builds and builds. You might have weeks, months and even years of tension overflowing."
Althoff said those situations can become even more explosive when drugs and guns become involved.
He cautioned housing authority workers to be ever vigilant in assessing the moods and movements of hostile patrons.
He pointed out that kitchens are full of potential weapons and guns often are kept in bedrooms. If a hostile person moves into those areas, he said, it's time to step back.
Smith, who has worked for the housing authority for 15 years and manages property throughout the city, said Althoff's message was well worth hearing.
"A lot of times, we are unwillingly put in those types of situations," he said. "It teaches some techniques for getting out of those situations. You've got to have some street savvy."
Street savvy or not, Smith admits, crack cocaine and the guns that accompany it have put a new element of danger in public housing.
"The housing authority tries to make these communities as safe as we can," he said.
by CNB