Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 4, 1995 TAG: 9506050013
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Mike Brown: The international law-enforcement consultant would rely on preventive measures such as vacation house checks, crime prevention programs, citizen patrols and increased drug enforcement to lower the crime rate.
"The only sure-fire way to lower the crime rate ... is to get the citizens actively involved," Brown said.
He would provide deputies with specialized investigative training and improve evidence collection methods. He would screen cases to weed out those that can't be solved and focus on those likely to result in an arrest.
Brown said he would bring some new employees to the Sheriff's Office and, though he would not fire any current employees, he would evaluate which employees are right for which job.
He also would use computers to track crimes and predict where criminals might strike next. And he supports greater communication with state, local and federal law-enforcement agencies.
Dave Cooper: A 24-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, Cooper cites the county's growth and a lack of road deputies for its low rates of crimes solved.
"We're supposed to have a deputy for every 2,000 people," Cooper said. "I'd say we're four to six deputies short."
The Sheriff's Office, he said, also has lost some experienced deputies to the state police, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department and other agencies that can pay better salaries.
Vernon Goode: Goode, who runs the county's jail annex in Moneta, declined to comment.
Doug Maynard: Bedford County needs to work on its response time, said the investigator for the Bedford and Roanoke public defender's offices. "With a better response time, you add the element of surprise and you have a better chance of catching the perpetrator if you're there at the time the crime occurs," Maynard said.
He proposes dividing the county into four patrol districts to cut down response times.
He also thinks deputies should have better training on the collection of evidence at a crime scene. And he says the Sheriff's Office could benefit from increased cooperation with surrounding law enforcement agencies. By knowing what crimes are being committed in other localities, Bedford County could solve more of its own. Crime doesn't know borders, he said.
Chuck Reid: The deputy and 12-year employee of the Sheriff's Office said he thinks morale and manpower are the biggest problems facing Bedford County.
"We're short-handed and we really don't have time to follow up on cases like we should," Reid said. The rapid construction of vacation and retirement homes at Smith Mountain Lake has contributed to break-ins, he said, making them tempting targets to thieves. Also, Bedford County has a lot more residents than Franklin or Botetourt. That means more crime.
As far as morale goes, he said, "From the things that have happened in the past, it has a tendency to get anybody's morale down.
"You need something to work for - a deputy-of-the-year award - something to let the men know they're appreciated," he said. "If you build their morale and give the guy something to work for, they're going to work harder. As short-handed as we are, if you build morale, that's worth an extra man."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB