THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504190422
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Next month, residents of Dare County's first guard-gated community will decide if their gate will come tumbling down.
But no matter the outcome of the neighborhood referendum, residents of Colington Harbour want regular police patrols on their streets. And they're going to the North Carolina General Assembly to achieve their goal.
Local legislation will be introduced in the General Assembly by Rep. Bill Culpepper, which will allow Dare County Sheriff's Deputies to patrol Colington Harbour to enforce speed and traffic laws, a practice previously prohibited in the private community.
Earlier this week, the Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to support the proposed legislation.
Attorney Dwight Wheless, who represents the Colington Harbour Association, said if the bill becomes law, county officers will be able to enforce traffic laws regardless of the gate's status.
``Guard-gated roads in private communities are not public,'' said Wheless. ``This legislation would make the roads (in Colington Harbour) public. It would not be affected if there was a security gate there or not.''
Wheless said neighborhood enforcement of traffic laws is no longer practical. He also argued that Colington Harbour residents pay a large chunk of county property taxes.
``The day is long past when speed laws on 13 miles of streets can be enforced by neighbors and speed bumps,'' Wheless said. ``We don't want private gunslingers in Colington Harbour. We want trained law enforcement.''
Wheless said additional manpower would not be necessary for the patrols.
Before the unanimous vote, Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. said he would like to see more patrols in Colington Harbour, and other unincorporated areas of Dare County not served by municipal police protection.
``Colington Harbour is part of Dare County,'' Owens said. ``I'd like to see more patrols on Hatteras Island, Roanoke Island, the mainland and Colington Harbour. We have an excellent sheriff's department. But we don't need them patrolling in towns that have police protection.'' by CNB