THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 1, 1996 TAG: 9601010042
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
For Clyde Toler, it's the changes in his neighborhood that make him tout community policing.
The drug transactions that he watched from his porch in Park View for years have just about ceased. The vacant lots filled with overgrown grass, abandoned cars and old tires are no longer there. And the abandoned homes that were used by prostitutes have been boarded up.
Toler attributes the transformation of his neighborhood to the activities of NEAT - Neighborhood Enhancement and Action Teams - a community policing program that stations officers in specific neighborhoods.
Instead of rushing from call to call, officers in the NEAT program address conditions that contribute to crime. They work closely with other city departments to take care of street lighting, abandoned cars and houses, unkempt lawns - things not traditionally thought of as police work.
Problem-solving and community involvement are high on the program's list.
And law officials say they hope by using proactive policing to identify problems, trust will be established with Portsmouth residents.
``Each year we take more and more drugs and more guns off the streets, but crime still goes up,'' said Lt. Joseph Covey, one of the leaders of the NEAT program. ``We needed another tool to fight it. Last year alone, (Portsmouth )police officers responded to about 192,000 emergency 911 calls.
``With only enough time to handle the complaints they were assigned, officers weren't finding out why the problems they dealt with were occurring,'' he said. ``With this program we are not just putting criminals and people in jail, we're also treating the symptoms.''
The Police Department has divided the city into nine areas where officers will be assigned. The program started in August by placing officers in the Prentis Park area. Park View received two officers in October. Law officials say the program should be implemented in the rest of the city in 18 months. A total of 22 officers will be involved in NEAT, which is locally funded.
NEAT members have offices in their assigned areas. Officers Brian Abdul-Ali and James Lewis' headquarters are in Prentis Park in the 1700 block of Elm Ave. Officers John Donahue and Sean Dunn are located in Park View in the 900 block of Leckie St.
Because the program is new, few statistics are available to measure NEAT's success, except for perhaps the number of arrests that have been made. Police records show that the program's officers have made 180 arrests - nearly half for misdemeanors - in the Park View and Prentis Park area.
Although it's a little too early to use arrest figures as an indication of success, both NEAT officers and Portsmouth residents agree that the program has made significant strides in community trust.
``It's a unique thing,'' Officer Lewis said. ``People call us and come by and tell us what's bothering them. I`ve never experienced that kind of treatment before.''
Calvary Manor resident Joe Wright said the program has given life back to the older residents who had become prisoners in their homes.
``People are coming out now because we have community police,'' Wright said. ``They have gone door-to-door, block-to-block introducing themselves to the community and telling people why they are there.''
Wright's brother, Roy, said the program can only help the city's plague of murders and vast drug problems.
``Portsmouth is going to get better,'' Roy said. ``We are at rock bottom right now. When this community-police system takes over this entire city, crime is going to drop. Crime in Portsmouth is going to drop.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on page B1 by VICKI CRONIS, The Virginian-Pilot
Officer Brooke Donahue plays football with Daniel Watson, center,
and Lionel Watson in the Park View neighborhood.
Photo by VICKI CRONIS, The Virginian-Pilot
Officer Sean Dunn, left, looks on as Officer Brooke Donahue yells at
a teen they had to chase down after he fled on his bicycle when they
asked him to stop. The officers are assigned to the NEAT program in
Park View.
KEYWORDS: CRIME NEIGHBORHOOD PORTSMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT by CNB