THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 10, 1995 TAG: 9508080100
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover story
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 147 lines
CHANDELIERS ARE NOT common fixtures these days for homes or for hobbyists.
But to Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High, the intricate ceiling lights are fascinating.
``I have this thing,'' High said recently. ``I like to look at chandeliers. I look at different kinds of lighting, the workmanship, the design.''
It has been a little more than two years since High, 50, arrived as Norfolk's new police chief. He took over for Henry P. Henson, who retired after 38 years with the Norfolk Police, the last seven as police chief.
When High gets a break from his daily rigors, he not only likes to study chandeliers, but he also likes to look back at how his administration has run so far.
``They've been generally pretty good,'' he said of his first two years in Norfolk. ``We've had ups and downs. The positives clearly outweigh the negatives.''
A positive, he said, has been a four-year drop in the city's crime rate, a slide that began before he took over the force. Norfolk's 1994 crime rate fell by 10.5 percent, the largest reduction in 22 years.
He has credited the decrease with the PACE (Police Assisted Community Enforcement) program, a concept that's a shift from traditional law-enforcement techniques.
He came to Norfolk in June 1993 after serving as a ranking officer on the Washington, D.C., force. When he arrived, he was given the mission of broadening and improving the city's community policing program, then a relatively new concept.
High appears to be content in his downtown office, where police administration moved earlier this year. The expansive gray-hued room is decorated with mementos, plaques and honors from his Washington days as well as some from Norfolk.
But a chief should not be just someone who sits in an office and delegates, he said. And if he had his way, he would spend far less time being an administrator and far more time policing.
``That's a goal of mine, to be more involved in public safety activities,'' High said. ``This year I've spent a lot more time at roll calls, community meetings. I've accomplished more in that respect.''
High, an imposing figure with a drooping moustache, has said that he has taken a hands-on, open-door approach when working with his officers.
``I've always been a people person, outgoing. I continue to do that here,'' he said.
That trait was not something he picked up just when he received the Norfolk slot, he said.
``I'm still the same person. I've tried to be fair, objective, caring. But at the same time, demanding that people do a good job and perform well.''
He has been criticized for being too demanding. Last winter he said in an interview that discipline was one of the department's most serious issues. He has suspended a number of officers who haven't made their court appearances. A person accused of a crime has the right to confront the arresting officer in court.
``I think clearly in the beginning . . . people have an adjustment period,'' he said. ``You have to be consistent and fair, and ultimately that's what they're looking for.''
Changes are going to continue throughout the department, which has 687 sworn officers. High has made it part of his mission to try to recruit more women and minorities onto the force.
One class of officers graduated from Norfolk's police academy last spring, and another class was scheduled to begin training in July.
``I'm proudest of the quality of new recruits,'' he said. ``As you look at women and African Americans, we're getting better each day.''
And the department's approach to policing is making the city better - at least that's the feedback High has been getting from residents and from crime rate statistics.
``The citizens are saying they see progress. They can have the opportunity to be clearly and completely involved,'' he said.
He said the goal is to get 100 percent of citizens involved with police work. But officers will need to be educated as well so that they will know how to be more involved with their neighborhoods.
While the decrease in reported crime has been encouraging, Norfolk still has serious problems. Drugs, which drive the majority of other crimes, are still rampant, he said.
Bringing more young people into the realm of public service hopefully will change that, he said.
``I visit a lot of schools, and I learn from them,'' he said. ``We have a lot of great young people out there. We're not in as bad a shape as we think.''
Getting out to schools is something he enjoys but does not get a chance to do very often because of his high-ranking demands.
When he's not running the department, meeting with City Hall officials, addressing civic league meetings, disciplining officers, refiguring the management structure or pounding the beat with his officers, Melvin High tries to make time for himself and his wife, Brenda, and daughter, Tracy, a student at Yale University.
``I'm a strong family person,'' he said. ``My values were well-grounded. The way I do things I think is a good way of doing things. I think we all change, each day we learn.''
He said he can find that firm footing through his beliefs and church activities, which help in his hectic world.
``I've always been a Christian,'' he said. ``I pray a little more often.''
He has tried to hang onto the values he grew up with.
The son of a farmer and teacher, Melvin High was raised in Union County, Miss. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in biology. After graduation he taught high school science in Calhoun City, Miss., until he was inducted into the Marine Corps in 1967 and sent to Vietnam.
After the service, he joined the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., in 1969. He retired there as assistant chief and second in command in 1993, then packed his bags for this Virginia port city.
Norfolk, he said, is very different from the nation's capital. Norfolk residents are much more neighborhood-oriented, he said.
When he gets a break from the job, he said he not only is attracted to chandeliers but also to various forms of home improvement.
``I watch a lot of those home shows, the development of a house,'' he said. ``You get to see that whole process.''
His television also stays tuned to sports. The ``tremendous Redskins fan'' said he likes almost any sport, particularly high school and college games.
But his moments to enjoy sports sometimes appear to be few and far between. But he's not complaining about his job in the least. Being a police officer is not a 9-to-5 job where he can hang his uniform at the end of the day and forget about the city's safety.
``It's not a boring profession. I think for me, it's challenging. I think that's an important issue to have - challenge.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MARK MITCHELL
Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High works in his office, which is
decorated with mementos and plaques from the past.
Melvin C. High talks to Dave Thacker, operations officer in the
downtown office.
When the police chief hat has been hung up for the day, Melvin High
enjoys home improvement shows. ``I watch a lot of those home shows,
the development of a house. You get to see that whole process.''
High isn't fond of sitting in his office, but the paperwork must be
done.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE BIOGRAPHY NORFOLK POLICE
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