THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610190233
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 57 lines
What's a criminal to do?
Behave or get caught were the choices Friday night as more than 40 police officers in cars, on bikes and on foot fanned out across East Ocean View.
They nabbed drug dealers and users, drunken drivers and habitual offenders. They put a dent in the sex trade, scaring off would-be clients and practitioners. They ticketed people who weren't driving properly and made many more think twice about the speed limit and obeying traffic laws.
``It's a win-win situation for us,'' said police spokesman Larry Hill of the ``high-density enforcement'' operation. ``We catch people who are in violation of the law. And when people act in compliance, it's working as a deterrent. People are abiding by the law.''
The most visible part of the operation, which began about 7 p.m., was a police checkpoint on Cape View Avenue at East Ocean View Avenue. By 10 p.m., more than 300 motorists had been stopped and checked out.
The majority were soon on their way after a check of their driver's license, insurance, registration and inspection. But for those who hadmessed up paperwork, there was a ticket.
And, for a few, there were more serious problems.
Although numbers were still being tallied late Friday, Hill said police had arrested at least two drunken drivers and a habitual offender.
Lest anyone think they were free and clear once they left the cordon of orange cones, police cars and officers behind, there were plenty of police on patrol in the area.
Vice and narcotics officers were checking every haunt of drug dealers and buyers. A drug-sniffing dog was on the prowl.
Police on bikes were everywhere, too, and it was members of the bike patrol who made one of the night's narcotics arrests.
``It's impressive,'' said Scott Gardin, 32, an Ocean View resident who said his car has been broken into twice in three years. ``I went through the checkpoint when I came home. It slowed me down, which was annoying at the time. But, hey, if it's catching crooks, OK.''
The enforcement action was made possible by a grant from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Hill said. The money paid police overtime, making it possible to put more than five times as many officers in the area as normal.
``I'm quite happy to see them out there,'' said John Roger, president of the Bay View Civic League.
``I'm all in favor of it. It's a very positive thing for the community,'' Roger said late Friday night after watching the police in operation for hours. ``We do have a lot of problems with speeders. We do have a lot of problems with drugs and guns. Anything the police can do to pick up these people who are not expecting the cops.''
Roger said the sweeps, which are mounted from time to time with no public warning in various parts of the city, are effective.
``They keep this criminal element and these less-than-law-abiding people nervous,'' Roger said. ``If they don't know when to expect the police, it might just deter some of them'' from breaking the law. ``It might deter some of the folks from plying their trades.'' by CNB