THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 2, 1996 TAG: 9607310168
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 92 lines
It's nice to be wanted.
And it's nice to appear regularly on television.
But those who are wanted by the Portsmouth Police Department or Sheriff's Office may get more TV exposure than they bargained for.
They might become stars on ``High Street Blues,'' which airs four times a day on cable channel 48 WGOV-TV. That kind of high visibility can make it difficult for a fugitive to lie low.
``The success rate of the program is 66 to 68 percent,'' said Lt. Elizabeth Aronson, public affairs officer for the Sheriff's Office and one of the show's co-hosts. ``That's the arrest rate of persons we've featured on the show.''
``There's been over a 100 percent increase in fugitive calls to the Portsmouth Crime Line number since we started doing the show,'' said Police Detective Jimmy Ennis, Aronson's co-host. ``It was designed to show persons wanted in Portsmouth for anything.
``We're finding some don't even know they're wanted, like someone who got a traffic ticket and forgot to go to court. But that results in a warrant for failure to appear. One woman saw herself and turned herself in. She said she wanted to turn herself in before somebody called the Crime Line.''
Broadcasting runs in the family for Aronson. Her husband, Doug, is a reporter for WAVY TV-10. He has been in Atlanta covering the Olympics.
Ennis is no stranger to broadcasting, either. Every Monday, he does Portsmouth's weekly segment of the Crime Line show carried by WVEC-TV Channel 13.
Aronson and Ennis tape ``High Street Blues'' twice a month, in the WGOV-TV studios located in the Human Services Center, 1701 High St. Video Services manager Carol E. Pratt is the producer. James Temple Jr. is the video technician and Jim Reynolds is the engineer.
``I do all the technical work like the video switching and the graphic equalizer,'' says Reynolds, a volunteer who has been involved with the show for about four months.
The show first aired Nov. 8, 1995. A viewer survey conducted in 1994 revealed that 40 percent of WGOV-TV's viewers wanted programming dealing with police and public safety issues. It was the fifth most mentioned category, beating out even legislative issues.
The show was the brainstorm of Aronson, according to Ennis. She thought it up and approached her boss, Sheriff Gary Waters. He took it to Police Chief Dennis A. Mook, who tapped Ennis.
``I had been working with Norfolk's `Crime Line Chronicle,' which we also air,'' Ennis recalled, ``and I wanted to do something like it here in Portsmouth.''
``Jimmy Ennis actually came up with the name of the show,'' Pratt said, `` `High Street Blues.' Those police love to watch `Hill Street Blues.' ''
Thanks to Pratt, Temple and Reynolds, each episode begins with a pre-recorded opening featuring Portsmouth public safety employees in a variety of situations in the field. A casual viewer catching the beginning might think he or she was watching ``Hill Street'' or another network police show instead of ``High Street.'' The show then segues to Aronson and Ennis, seated at a table, with a Crime Line poster prominently displayed behind them.
Aronson and Ennis work from specially prepared information sheets containing the particulars on the 12 to 18 fugitives featured on each 30-minute show. Later, photos of the subjects are added to the tape, to be aired as the details are read.
``They've had all types of offenses, from passing bad checks to murder,'' Pratt said.
At a recent taping session, the rap sheets included felony child neglect, possession of heroin, forging and uttering, grand larceny-auto, malicious wounding/attempted robbery, hit and run with injuries, arson, statutory burglary and embezzlement.
``When the show started,'' Ennis explained, ``it was strictly `wanted.' After the first month, we started doing interviews. Later on, we may expand the show to highlight unsolved cases. I'd like to bring up some old homicide cases.''
``Earlier this year we aired this fugitive, Corey Jackson, and they apprehended him,'' Pratt said. ``He was wanted for murder. We had been airing his photo. I asked if there was a correlation and was told it was a tip to the Crime Line number that led to his arrest. We air that number, so we're taking credit for it.''
Ennis concurs. ``There's been an increase in fugitive calls to the Crime Line. For the month of May, we had 10 rewards to pay out. Eight were for fugitives they'd seen. In June, we had eight, and they were all fugitives. I give credit to `High Street Blues.' The board that determines the rewards asked about it, and I told them, `There's no doubt at all - it's as a result of the show.' ''
``High Street Blues'' is a part of Portsmouth Crime Watch. The show airs daily, over Cox Cable, in Portsmouth, at 11 a.m., 3, 6 and 10 p.m. Persons with information concerning fugitives featured on the show should call Portsmouth Crime Line at 488-1777.
A reward of up to $1,000 may be paid for information leading to an arrest and conviction. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Co-hosts Lt. Elizabeth Aronson and Detective Jimmy Ennis watch the
tape of their show, ``High Street Blues.'' by CNB