Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508070036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
When Mike Brown announced in January that he was running for Bedford County sheriff, he told voters he'd take them back to the days when neighbors looked out for each other.
If elected, the Republican candidate said, he'd start a volunteer "posse" to patrol the county looking for suspicious people and crimes in progress.
Then in April, the Oklahoma City federal building was bombed.
Now Brown calls the proposed group "Citizens on Patrol."
Brown has been preaching the idea across the county and it's one of the hottest topics among folks talking about the five-way sheriff's race.
The word "posse," however, had some county residents fearing that Brown was forming an armed militia. But the truth, Brown says, is that his volunteer group will be an unarmed mobile neighborhood watch.
"I've gotten away from the word 'posse' because people don't understand it," Brown says.
But "this is something that's working all over the country at other law-enforcement agencies. It's a good program."
Unlike a traditional neighborhood watch, Brown's "Citizens on Patrol" would wear uniforms and use their own vehicles to patrol their neighborhoods and high-crime areas.
"I would like to see the Citizens On Patrol directed at the areas of the county that need a visible deterrent to criminal activity," Brown said. "Criminals like the dark; they don't like being watched.
"Hopefully, they'll go to some other county. It's not going to get rid of the crime but it'll push it out of Bedford County."
COP members would not confront suspects, though.
"They are never to try to intervene in any type of criminal activity. The incident would always be reported back to the Sheriff's Office," Brown said. "The apprehension would always be handled by a sworn officer, the State Police or the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries."
COP volunteers would carry radios or cellular phones and be supervised by a deputy. They wouldn't be reimbursed for mileage and would have to pay for their own uniforms.
Before going on the road, they would receive about 40 hours of training in first aid, law enforcement, state law and basic patrol techniques, Brown says. COP volunteers also would undergo a criminal background check, drug testing and psychological screening.
They must be 25 years old or more and physically fit. "If a 70-year-old is fit enough to handle the duties of patrol, they'll be allowed to join," Brown says.
The idea of citizen patrols is not a new one. Some cities in Virginia, including Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News, have versions of it. And Brown borrowed some of his ideas from places as far away as Arizona and New York.
In fact, citizen patrols are thriving across the nation, and law-enforcement officials say they're bringing crime rates down. Businesses like them so much they often donate phones or equipment.
But citizen patrols also are controversial. Critics point to the liability of putting a civilian in possibly dangerous situations. They also say citizen patrols open the door for abuses by "Rambo" types with militant leanings.
Brown said he will make sure the liability issue is taken care of before he sends volunteers on patrol, but admits he's not sure how he'll go about doing it, especially if the county refuses to take responsibility.
Critics also say citizen patrols crowd courts and jails with a backlog of petty cases.
"You're just spending more and more money on people, who even if they were convicted, would usually be spending five days in jail instead of 10 or 20 days in jail, and that comes down to a lot of money," says Arizona Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Louis Rhodes.
Still, critics acknowledge that citizen patrols are incredibly popular in communities where they've been tried. In Maricopa County, near Phoenix, the sheriff's posse is widely revered, Rhodes says, because "it speaks to the idea of 'let's fight back, let's stop crime.'''
Here's how citizen patrols are working:
PHOENIX: When Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio took office in 1992, he set up the biggest volunteer posse in the nation - now 2,364 members strong.
About one-third are armed. They receive approximately 128 hours of training and assist in arrests. The rest of the posse is made up of unarmed citizens with 40 to 80 hours of training. They patrol in their own cars, report suspicious activity by cellular phone and radio, and don't confront suspects.
They wear the same uniforms as deputies, except for the badge, which reads "POSSE." Ranging in age from 21 to 102, they are covered for liability by the county. They undergo background checks, psychological testing and random drug screenings.
Some posse members pick up arrested suspects from deputies, process them at the jail and fill out paperwork. They roust out prostitutes and drug dealers, and on a recent weekend, they rounded up deadbeat dads.
Despite its success, complaints have been made about posse members hassling people, and a former posse supervisor criticized the sheriff for letting in "Rambos" and "washed-out cop wannabes."
Posse ranks grew so fast that background checks often were delayed or incomplete. One member, who was put in charge of the posse checking account, later was ejected after it was discovered that he was wanted for fraud.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: Since Citizens on Patrol started in 1992, major crimes - murder, rape, robbery, and theft - have dropped 44 percent, Lt. Pat Kneblick said.
More than 3,000 citizens belong. They get eight hours of training and a background check before taking up unarmed patrol in their own cars. They wear jackets and hats and have signs on their cars. They don't confront suspects.
City Council pays for signs, radios and other costs, but liability has not been addressed.
No members have been injured on an official patrol, but one volunteer was killed recently when he chased gang members trying to steal his son's car.
nMIAMI: Police just finished training their first group of 25 citizens and have a waiting list of 300 more. Unarmed COP members patrol between sundown and midnight in their own cars, carrying cellular phones and wearing COP T-shirts and hats.
They undergo an extensive background check and get four to eight hours of training.
Liability's uncertain. Miami's city government hasn't accepted responsibility and the police haven't either.
RICHMOND: Citizen patrols have been run for the last 15 years without police help - until recently.
In the last two months, Richmond police started providing three hours of training for volunteer patrollers. But they take no responsibility. That's the problem of the civic associations that sponsor and schedule patrols.
"We tell them the do's and don't's. We tell them they're the eyes and ears only, not to get involved," says Lt. Julius Richardson. Police also tell volunteers to look for other problems, such as potholes and health hazards, and they tell the volunteers how to report them.
"This is mainly going on in low-income housing neighborhoods, believe it or not," Richardson says. "It's having a tremendous impact on the drug deals in those blocks."
ROCHESTER, N.Y.: About 600 volunteers belong to Police And Citizens Together Against Crime, a program that's been around since 1975. They get four hours of training.
Unarmed, they wear bright yellow vests and carry only flashlights and radios. Some use their cars or bicycles, others patrol on foot. Volunteers are at least 21, though teen chapters are being started to patrol high schools.
Members sign waivers of liability. There's never been a criminal-related injury over the years, though some volunteers have been hit by cars or hurt in falls while patrolling.
"They're walking the beat," says Lt. Timothy Hickey. "If there's a corner that's bad for prostitution and drugs, chances are these people are going to be walking by there and calling in what they see."
by CNB