THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406100252
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: Medium
These are among 10 recommendations handed to the City Council Tuesday by the 11-member Virginia Beach Crime Task Force, after a year of study, to streamline the city's criminal justice system and make it more effective.
{REST} So said Charles W. Gardner, task force chairman, who made the presentation at the afternoon session. Last October, the same council-appointed task force made a similar 10-point program to stem the tide of juvenile crime in the city.
The wide-ranging strategy called for a tough-love approach to juvenile law breakers.
The latest report, mainly dealing with adults, is a practical approach that calls for tightening up the system that deals with every facet of criminal justice from issuing arrest warrants to probation procedures.
The first recommendation sought by the task force was an additional member of the City Attorney's staff to handle DUI cases in court.
The city is unique among others in Hampton Roads, Gardner told council members, in the way it handles DUI prosecutions.
``The police represent the city in court,'' said Gardner. ``It's unfair since they face some of the top attorneys. In other cities, the police testify then turn their cases over to the city attorney's office.''
Gardner later explained that police, no matter how competent, are not lawyers and are often at a disadvantage in prosecuting drunken driving cases against experienced attorneys.
As a result, many DUI cases in Virginia Beach are thrown out of court on technicalities. A full-time assistant city attorney could prevent this from happening, he argued.
The task force also suggested that the city hire a professional collection agency to exact restitution from defendants in court cases. The present system allows them to avoid paying victims with impunity.
A third recommendation calls for the city to adopt a ``use of force'' model adopted for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Border Patrol and other federal agencies.
``If adopted we'd be much less prone to get charges of mistreatment and brutality and would lessen the legal fallout,'' Gardner told council members.
Another get-tough recommendation proposed by the task force called for sentencing first offenders to serve some time in jail. It also called for requiring them to perform some type of community service and to make restitution for damages or injuries they caused in breaking the law.
``Now they get by without punishment,'' said Gardner. ``You hear a lot about repeat criminals going through the system again and again and nothing happens.''
Task force members also suggest the separation of violent and non-violent offenders, allowing white-collar criminals, those arrested for non-support and similar non-threatening offenses, to be locked up in non-secure facilities such as a half-way house.
This would avoid costly jail construction in the future, Gardner said.
Other recommendations called for:
Implementing a ``career development'' program to encourage officers with particular interests and abilities to get further training in their specialties and be rewarded with higher rank and pay. Such specialization could produce needed experts say, in detective work, and enhance police morale.
Providing probation workers with volunteer help and with up-to-date cellular communication equipment when they go into the field to check up on parolees. Such a move could enhance the safety of probation workers and allot much clerical and grunt work to volunteers.
Providing city magistrates with updated computer software to allow them to tap into the police criminal justice network. Such a move could keep both magistrates, courts and police current on all warrants issued against offenders entering the city's legal system.
Assigning magistrates to city police academy cycles to help train prospective officers on how to meet legal requirements when obtaining arrest warrants.
{KEYWORDS} VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL CRIME TASK FORCE
by CNB