DATE: Friday, May 2, 1997                   TAG: 9705020613

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   63 lines

JUVENILE CRIMES, HANDGUN USE TOP CONCERNS FOR POLICE CHIEFS

Hampton Roads police chiefs brought good news to area citizens Thursday night: Violent crime rates are falling.

But the bad news, they said, is the rising number of juvenile offenders who are committing more serious and violent offenses.

During a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the police chiefs from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach also cited growing concerns about the large numbers of violent crimes linked to the use of handguns.

In 1980, one of every eight people arrested for murder in South Hampton Roads was a teen-ager, according to an analysis of FBI arrest data. By the 1990s, it was one in three. Most teen-age murderers use guns.

``If we want to make a real difference, I think we have to invest into the future of our children,'' Portsmouth Police Chief Dennis Mook said. ``We cannot afford to lose another generation.''

But the chiefs also cited successes using regional cooperation, partnerships with federal agencies and community policing to curb crime.

``There's no simple answer to violence,'' said Norfolk Police Chief Melvin High. ``The answers are complex.''

Although Norfolk has seen violent crime drop, it still has the second-highest violent crime rate in South Hampton Roads. In Norfolk, more than one-fourth of the assaults and two-thirds of all deaths were linked to handgun use, High said. And last year, 63 percent of all murders were linked to handguns.

But the city's community policing program and joint operations with other law enforcement agencies have made a difference, he said.

Virginia Beach Police Chief Charles R. Wall also echoed similar concerns about the increasing number of handguns in the community.

``I've got some real problems with the number of people running around our community with guns,'' Wall said. ``It's frightening, and it frightens the officers out on the streets.''

Virginia Beach, according to violent crime statistics, is the safest city in Hampton Roads, with 256 violent crimes per 100,000. While police and community efforts make a difference, Wall said, cities must consider the socio-economic reasons behind crime.

``We need better housing, better jobs,'' Wall said. ``We can't do everything for everybody.''

Mook said Portsmouth saw a 29 percent drop in violent crime last year. Homicides were also down 23 percent last year.

Mook cited a joint task force between his department and the FBI to curb violent crime in the city. So far it has successfully targeted some of the city's most notorious drug traffickers.

``There is a fear in our city and society of the federal law enforcement system,'' Mook said. ``We will target as many groups as necessary and for as long as necessary.''

Chesapeake Police Chief Richard H. Justice, who boasts the second-safest city in South Hampton Roads, said his department's community policing strategies are still evolving, but they're working at a grass-roots level. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Melvin High, Norfolk

Richard Justice, Chesapeake

Dennis Mook, Portsmouth

Charles R. Wall, Virginia Beach KEYWORDS: VIOLENT CRIME RATE JUVENILE CRIME JUVENILE OFFENDER

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu