DATE: Friday, May 16, 1997                  TAG: 9705160679

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:   59 lines

PORTSMOUTH POLICE GIVEN NEW OFFICES - INSIDE 7-ELEVENS

Cream, sugar or a desk with that coffee?

That's the question a convenience store giant is asking police officers these days.

The Portsmouth Police Department said yes first and ended up with offices in three 7-Eleven stores.

It seems $5,000 or so can do wonders for a stock room.

Now they're Police Community Network Centers.

One of the missions of Southland Corp. is to support community policing projects, according to Terry Drivas, Southland's prevention manager for Hampton Roads.

Instead of donating money randomly to different nonprofit groups, the convenience store corporation is providing direct support to police departments by providing them offices in the communities they serve, Drivas said.

``It's a win-win situation,'' Drivas said. ``It's a win for the community because they have the police officer there, and it's certainly a benefit to us.''

Drivas estimates the offices could pay for themselves in crime reduction in about half a year.

The business and police department formally kicked off the partnership at a ceremony held Thursday at the store on Deep Creek Boulevard and Elliott Avenue.

All of Portsmouth's finest can drop by and use the office there to complete paperwork, make phone calls during their shifts or just get out of the car and meet with people in the community.

But the office also will serve as home to that neighborhood's community policing officer, Willie Carter.

The company also gave a gift of $711 to that community, to be split between the Gosport Police Community Relations Motor Patrol and the Highland Biltmore Civic League for crime prevention efforts.

The other stores that will have offices set aside for officers are at 3201 George Washington Highway near the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and at 725 London Blvd. near Olde Towne.

The latter also will serve as a base for the Olde Towne community policing officer.

The three Portsmouth offices are among five in Virginia so far and 124 in the country.

Drivas said that he is discussing such centers with other Hampton Roads cities.

The company will kick off another unusual partnership with law enforcement agencies this summer, he said.

Operation Chill will provide local cities with anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 Slurpee coupons to be distributed to officers who in turn are asked to present them to children they catch in random acts of kindness. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Map

911 in a 7-11

[location of the 7-11] KEYWORDS: 7-11 PORTSMOUTH POLICE

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