THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412140487
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
City Manager V. Wayne Orton plans to expand the Police Department by 13 percent in the coming year - adding 29 new officers to the city's streets, which recently have been described as among the most violent in the country.
Orton announced his plans to expand the force at a public hearing Tuesday before City Council, then reiterated his request for a 4-cent real-estate tax increase to be earmarked for economic development.
Orton said he would push for the additional officers whether or not the tax increase is approved.
The new officers would cost the city about $1 million, which would be paid from a mix of grants and city money, Orton said. About six officers would be funded through the new federal crime bill.
It will take at least six months from the time the budget is approved by the City Council in June for all the officers to be hired, Orton said.
The Police Department now has a budget for 220 officers but only 203 are on the force. Twenty of the 203 are in the police academy or are recent graduates who are still in training. An additional 15 will enter the police academy next month.
The council has long bemoaned the city's crime-ridden image. Last week, an FBI report said Portsmouth had the 24th-highest per capita murder rate in the nation. Last spring, the city had the highest per capita rate of violent crime in the region.
The city has beefed up patrols in the downtown area to make police more visible to visitors of the new Children's Museum of Virginia and to students who will attend the new Tidewater Community College Fine Arts Center.
``There have been no problems downtown, but there was a false perception there were a lot of problems downtown,'' said Cpl. G.A. Brown, a Police Department spokesman. ``Because of the anticipated number of people coming, we wanted to add a visual presence.''
Orton was quick to point out that the number of murders in Portsmouth has dropped in the last year and that his real reason for hiring more officers was economic development.
``The two go hand in hand,'' Orton said. ``It's important for our citizens to know management recognizes this and plans to do something about it.''
If Tuesday's meeting was an indication, citizens seem willing to accept the 4-cent tax increase. Their visions were put on paper with the advice and help from an urban design consultant, Ray Gindroz.
More than 200 people came out to Tuesday's public hearing on the building budget. Of the 24 speakers, only two opposed the proposed tax increase.
Most residents who came out to talk about the proposed budget wanted more - mostly they wanted new ball fields. A few wanted more money for neighborhood improvements.
Speakers asked for a new football field and facilities at Wilson High School; new soccer fields at the John Tyler Little League field and they wanted to have the Cradock Little League field moved from St. Juliens Creek to land at George Washington Highway and Victory Boulevard.
The city estimates the cost for all those fields would be more than $1.5 million. The city manager has recommended spending $500,000 to move the field from St. Juliens Creek.
``This would fit in with the renaissance the city currently is in,'' said R. Jeffrey Barba, a member of the Cradock Soccer Association, in support of the new field at George Washington Highway and Victory Boulevard. ``This would be a modern, convenient facility for children from all over, only minutes from the downtown area.''
Orton scaled back the city's building budget this year saying Portsmouth can't afford to keep getting further into debt. In recent years, the city has spent $10 million on construction projects. This year Orton recommended borrowing $8 million for those items.
The council is set to vote on the final budget Jan. 10. MEMO: THE CITY MANAGER'S PLAN
The numbers: 29 new police officers, on top of 220 now budgeted.
Cost: About $1 million.
Funding: A mix of grants and city money. The new federal crime bill
would pay for about six officers.
Time frame: All the officers would not be hired until at least
December 1995.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
V. Wayne Orton
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH CITY BUDGET PORTSMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME
PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL PORTSMOUTH REAL ESTATE TAX by CNB