THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 21, 1995 TAG: 9507190137
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
WHEN PORTSMOUTH native Kelvin Wright was promoted to lieutenant in the Chesapeake Police Department earlier this month, he was just following family tradition.
Law and order is serious business for the Wright clan.
His brother, Michael, a former Chesapeake police officer, is now a Maryland state trooper.
His cousin, LaDonna Wright, is a special agent for the Virginia State Police.
And although his sister, Sharon Wright Scott, left law enforcement for education, she was the one who started it all when she became one of the first black female Virginia state troopers.
Kelvin Wright followed her footsteps and now at 35 is the highest-ranking minority police officer in Chesapeake.
But that's just the younger generation.
Kelvin Wright is the son of Cephas Wright, a longtime active member of Portsmouth's Tri-Neighborhood Patrol.
The neighborhood watch program works almost around the clock seven days a week to combat crime in the Brighton/Prentis Park, Prentis Place and Lee Ward communities.
Wright's uncle, Joseph Wright, president of Cavalier Manor's patrol, won Portsmouth's Liberty Bell Award last year for the same kind of efforts in his neighborhood.
Both Cephas and another brother, Eugene, also were recognized during the Law Day awards program, which was sponsored by the Portsmouth Bar Association.
The three became well-known to Portsmouth lawyers as regular visitors to the city's courtrooms. They are among a small group of retired citizens who don't think their crime watching is complete until they have seen what happens in the courts.
But all that family influence aside, Kelvin Wright didn't grow up dreaming of being a police officer.
It was actually a stroke of bad luck - or so it seemed at the time.
Wright was laid off from General Electric in Suffolk in 1981.
``Suddenly . . . I had to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life,'' he said.
That's when Wright decided to follow his sister's lead.
``I put in a few applications with various police departments,'' he said. ``Chesapeake called first.''
When he first entered the academy, Wright said there were few minority recruits, but that's changing with time. Still, Wright believes many minorities are slow to consider law enforcement as a career.
``In this area, minorities make up about 10 to 12 percent of the departments,'' he said.
Wright would like to see those numbers increase.
``I would encourage any minority to pursue law enforcement. There's plenty of opportunity for growth and although it's not like it's portrayed on television, it is fun.''
Wright is proud of his success with the department, but he admits he got off to a rough start as a young police recruit at the academy.
``I had my own way of doing things and I was young and very headstrong,'' Wright said. ``After I did poorly on my first two tests, I was in danger of getting kicked out. So I decided to change. I buckled down and studied.''
And Wright's been working hard ever since. Now a thirteen-year veteran with the force, he was promoted to sergeant in 1992 and is a recent graduate of the Southern Police Institute, where he studied law enforcement management.
In addition, Wright found the time to go to school part time at Tidewater Community College, where he graduated magna cum laude with an associate's degree in applied science and administration.
Wright has been helping the department move toward a national accreditation status. In order to earn accreditation, the department must meet a number of standards in a variety of categories.
One such standard is the efficiency of the department's 911 or dispatch procedures, which Wright has been overseeing.
He is currently assigned to the special investigations division of the department, the division responsible for investigating vice and narcotics.
``My wife wasn't too happy when I moved to this unit,'' Wright conceded.
``But it's so great when you go out there and take someone that's a real problem to the community off the street.''
And that's one sentiment he'll get no argument on from the rest of the Wright family. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
At 35, Lt. Kelvin Wright is the highest-ranking minority police
officer in Chesapeake. He's the fourth member of the younger
generation of Wrights to be in police work.
by CNB