THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 18, 1994 TAG: 9410180377
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KAREN E. QUINONES MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Reuben M. Greenberg is a no-nonsense man who believes in getting to the bottom of things. Take, for example, one way he thinks society could curtail the rising juvenile crime:
``Some liberal-thinking teachers have put the notion in children's heads that they're not supposed to be spanked. Well, the law doesn't say that,'' the Charleston, S.C., police chief said Monday. ``We even tell parents if they want they can contact us and we'll be willing to come out to the house and watch them do it.''
Children even believe they can use the police to discourage discipline in the home, calling officers whenever there is a threat of corporal punishment.
``We have to go out on these calls, because there's always a chance of real child abuse, but most of the times it's simply a child with a few red marks where they've been hit,'' Greenberg said. ``But just the fact that we're there undermines the parental authority, and that bothers us.''
Greenberg, author of ``Let's Take Back Our Streets,'' was in Norfolk to address the 89th annual meeting of the Virginia Municipal League at the Omni International Hotel.
Juvenile crime, Greenberg said in an interview after his talk, is one of the major problems facing urban America.
``Part of it stems from children knowing they can get away with so much,'' Greenberg said. ``They can be arrested for something, and know, unless they've been arrested 30 or 40 times before, they're not going to do any time.''
Charleston City Council recently passed a bill outlawing truancy and allowing officers to pick up children who are cutting school.
``This has resulted in a sharp decrease in car thefts and daytime burglaries,'' Greenberg said.
The problem is that people have surrendered whole sections of their cities to the criminal element, Greenberg said. It's up to the good citizens to reclaim them.
Greenberg, with an air of self-confidence, said his city of 100,000 is determined to show the bad guys who is boss. He's been police chief for almost 13 years, and is proud of the decrease in crime during his tenure.
He's also proud of his department's record for solving crimes. All of Charleston's homicide cases were cleared in 1993, compared to 67 percent nationally; 75 percent of the city's rape cases were closed, compared to 53 percent nationally and 46 percent of its armed robberies were solved, compared to 25 percent nationally.
Aggressive policing makes the difference, Greenberg said.
``As an example, the drug problem. We can't eliminate drug activity, but we can certainly reduce it, and we can send it indoors and off the streets'' he said.
Police officers stand on corners that are favorite spots for drug dealers from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday - traditionally the busiest time for drug dealers, Greenberg said.
``We can't be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week because we don't have the manpower,'' Greenberg said. ``But the hours we're out there cuts drastically into their trade, so it's just not profitable for them to continue selling.''
Forcing drug dealers off the corners has also eliminated drive-by shootings in the city, Greenberg said.
``Most drive-bys are a result of turf wars between drug dealers, and people don't fight over turf they don't control,'' Greenberg said.
One thing if for sure: Greenberg is not afraid to take a stand. If he feels an action should be taken to reduce crime, he takes that action.
Although Charleston does not have a curfew law, police officers are instructed to escort home any juvenile they see on the street after midnight.
When asked whether that is legal, Greenberg answered with a shrug, ``Well, it's not illegal.''
Greenberg then smiled and said ``I'm not an academic out there talking about what needs to be done. I've got to go out there and do it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Reuben M. Greenberg
by CNB