THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504260099
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The Circulo Medico Latino of Tidewater wants to recognize and congratulate Mr. Angel Morales for his many meritorious services to the Hispanic community.
Mr. Morales was the recent recipient of the Virginia Beach Human Rights Award given to him by the Honorable Meyera Oberndorf in December 1994. Mr. Morales was the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Virginia Beach. He is the chairman of the Sister Cities Association, which promotes cultural and economical exchange with selected cities in other countries.
He is a member of the Adult Education committee of Virginia Beach, which promotes the education of the American culture and English language for immigrants who have problems in this area. In addition, he is the director and producer of four bilingual radio programs in Spanish and English. As the chairman of Interes Hispano, he has brought to Tidewater a diversity of artistic and cultural programs from Latin America to promote positive communication and understanding between Latin America and the United States.
For your multiple efforts and advancement we want to say thank you, Mr. Morales. Citizens like you further the progress in our communities.
Franco Alvarez, M.D.
President
Circulo Medico Latino de Tidewater PACE unfairly criticized
I'm writing in reference to the Feb. 22 article in The Virginian-Pilot with the headline: ``Norfolk Officers Criticize Chief's Leadership.''
It is unfortunate that the PACE program received negative publicity within this article. The article mentions that a survey of Norfolk police officers conveyed that they think ``PACE is not working as it should.'' That statement was indeed a surprise to myself and other community volunteers involved in the PACE program.
We have devoted countless hours and resources to make this program successful. Networks of volunteers have been established within our communities. These volunteers provide information to residents in their neighborhoods so that they can aid the police in apprehending criminals.
One of many examples of how PACE works occurred when some of our neighborhoods experienced an increase in car thefts last summer. Community volunteers told their neighbors what activities to look for and what precautions needed to be taken. Once this information was disseminated, residents were watchful, spotted the perpetrators and promptly called police. Police caught the teenagers committing these acts and our neighborhoods subsequently experienced a rapid reduction in the numbers of cars being stolen.
Additionally, we sponsor programs that demonstrate how citizens can protect themselves from becoming victims of crime. We co-sponsor (along with the police) bike safety and licensing fairs for children and their parents. Most importantly, however, we educate our residents, form bonds, and establish open lines of communication. The bonds that have been formed are between residents within our communities, between neighborhoods, and between residents and the Norfolk Police.
PACE citizen groups meet once a month to talk about neighborhood problems and to share ideas on how to solve those problems. We have received nothing but positive comments from both the police with whom we work and community residents. This program has proven time and time again that it works.
It would be interesting to know how many of the officers who responded to that survey mentioned in the paper actually are involved in the PACE program and work with citizen volunteers. It would also be most interesting to know how many of the officers live within a Norfolk neighborhood that has a PACE program.
Kathryn E. Stark
Coordinator, PACE 1st Blue Sector
Crime Prevention Committee and
coordinator, Colonial Place/Riverview
Crime Prevention Committee by CNB