THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 24, 1995 TAG: 9501240269
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
The city's hopes for a new weapon against crime rest in an empty, weathered office trailer outside a downtown fire station.
The trailer, donated by Mayor H. Rick Gardner and three others, is slated for renovation and outfitting to become a mobile police substation.
``Council now has the task to provide the resources to fund the equipment and manpower to operate this unit,'' Councilwoman Anita Hummer, liaison on the Mayor's Crime Commission and a catalyst behind the substation project, said at a dedication ceremony Monday.
Officials hope the trailer, which can be transported by any pickup truck, could be placed in drug- and crime-infested neighborhoods, establishing a police presence and deterring illegal activity.
The cost of equipping and outfitting such a unit is not known. Hummer and Gardner said officials will have to confer with police to work out what the trailer will need.
Citizen donations totaling about $100 have come in so far to support the unit. Hummer said a special fund has been set up and she expects Monday's dedication to inspire further assistance.
``We hope this will generate some interest,'' Hummer said. ``We can't solicit things, but we are hoping that it will be a community thing.''
Council members David Bosomworth and Myrtle Rivers also attended the morning gathering, along with members of the crime commission and a police department representative.
The $6,000 trailer was donated by Gardner, his wife, Lydia, and Elizabeth City residents George and Linda Raper.
Raper said he had downsized his contracting business and no longer needed the 6-year-old, 8- by 25-foot unit, which has heat and air conditioning.
Lydia Gardner had earlier offered to donate a larger trailer, but the group said they decided the unit delivered Monday would better suit the city's needs.
``It is certainly in my opinion a step forward in our effort to control crime,'' the mayor said as the group posed for photos in front of the pale yellow trailer. ``We will be moving forward hopefully in the very near future to get things done.''
Charlotte Cooper, who chairs the Mayor's Crime Commission, said the group will push the City Council to ensure the trailer does not sit idle for long.
``This is one of the things we've been working really hard for,'' Cooper said.
Cooper went before the City Council Monday night to present 15 recommendations developed by the crime commission. They include beefing up police foot patrols and enforcement of the curfew for juveniles, hiring a female officer with training as a rape counselor, reinstating the K-9 unit and pressing the court system to deal better with juvenile and drug offenders.
Anyone interested in contributing to the project can call City Clerk Dianne Pierce at 338-3981, Ext. 221. by CNB