DATE: Friday, October 31, 1997              TAG: 9710290205

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  157 lines

KIDS' SAFETY NIGHTCRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL JOINS WITH POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO SEND CITY'S YOUTH A SECURE MESSAGE.

WIDE-EYED AND with only an occasional whisper or giggle, witches, clowns, pirates and princesses anxiously gathered. They were ready for action and tricks and treats and stuff.

And just when they could not stand still another second, the gym door at the Great Bridge Community Center finally swung open for the raid on the 11th annual Chesapeake Crime Prevention Council's ``Kid's Night with McGruff'' Halloween party.

The young spidermen, gypsies and ghosts raced to the Explorers Post 161 station where they grabbed sacks loaded with treats. Brooke Simpson, 16, Autumn Johnson, 14, Ellen Gonzales, 18, and other teens who are interested in a career in law enforcement, had assembled hundreds of candy bags.

At the Virginia State Police display, adults stopped to check out bomb tools, an array of explosive devices and the 100-pound padded protection suit, while the little ones grabbed coloring books and junior trooper badges.

``I'm ready to ride,'' said Michael Richter, 11, when he flipped on the flashing lights as he perched on Officer Perry Bossuot's motorcycle. But when he reached into the saddlebags for the radar gun and ticket book for his imaginary stop, he came up only with a handful of candy.

Others munched popcorn or cotton candy. And while friends chatted and children ran the aisles, no one said slow down or be careful.

``There are many good reasons to be here,'' Chesapeake Police Chief R.A. Justice explained as he surveyed the crowd of almost 700. ``We want the children to have fun, to encourage crime-prevention activities and to promote community involvement.''

Officer Debbie Holmes of the Chesapeake Police Crime Prevention Unit serves as liaison with the Crime Prevention Council. She said the police and the council work together to assist about 125 neighborhoods with programs such as block security, McGruff safe houses, home-security checks, coding personal property and events like ``National Night Out'' and ``Kids' Night''.

``The party is a fun way for children to enjoy Halloween, and it gives the council a chance to pass along information and safety tips to families'' added Rick Sharp, a former council president and this year's secretary. ``Also, we are always looking to recruit more neighborhoods into the Neighborhood Watch program. We currently cover about 30,000 people, which means we have a ways to go to get all 190,000 residents involved.''

Angel Johnston, who juggled popcorn and drinks while Daniell, 6, and Bill, 4, waited in line for face painting, was on a mission. She has been her South Norfolk neighborhood Block Watch captain for three years but soon she will turn the job over to her friend, Susan Chewning.

As Chewning kept an eye on Chelsea, 7, and Robbie, 6, at the bean-bag toss, she received additional training. Johnston pointed out displays and brochures offered by Virginia Power, SPSA, the Virginia State Police, the Sheriff's Department and the Chesapeake Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services.

At the child identification table, Sheena Evans, 10, and her sister, Candace, 8, lined up with dozens of other youngsters. Sheena Evans heard about the party at school and coaxed her parents there. After collecting stickers, books and candy, the sisters waited to be fingerprinted.

``We hope we never use them, but we encourage parents to have their children's fingerprints on file,'' said Chesapeake Police Officer B.T. Tiner as he imprinted cards with small inked fingers. ``We also suggest fingerprinting Alzheimer's patients who sometimes wander away dazed and confused. A quick identification would often make the situation less stressful.''

``That's disgusting and not ever for me, said Britani Grandison, 8, referring to the spread of drugs and pipes confiscated by the Chesapeake Police Drug and Narcotics Unit. After shaking her head, she bolted to shake hands with McGruff and Sparky, and to chat with Pluggie, the talking fire hydrant whose voice sounded much like Fire Inspector R. C. Anderson.

Anderson Wright, 10, paused just long enough from practicing his baseball skills at the strike zone game to say he did not have to worry about drugs. He said he learned the ``just say no message'' in his DARE class at school and at home.

A souped up 1969 Camarro caught the eye of all ages. The car represented the Teenage Driver Safety or TADS program.

``Since 1993, 22 Chesapeake teen-agers have been killed in drinking-related accidents,'' said Sgt. W. L. Brabson, one of the car builders. ``TADS and the car carry the message that drinking and driving do not mix.''

Brabson and Officer Shawn Arledge, who present TADS to 10th-graders and civic organizations, recently received the 1997 Governor's Transportation Safety Award for their work..

Officers T. J. Myers, D. A. Phillips and T. M. Foster of the Community Bicycle Policing Unit had pedaled 11.2 miles from Second Precinct in South Norfolk to the party in Great Bridge.

``We came for the kids, but it's the parents who seem to have all the questions,'' said Myers. ``They want to know how fast we can go and how far we ride. And the answer is as fast as we can pedal or sometimes about 31 mph, and we ride about 80 to 100 miles a week.''

Ko Steendam shepherded his sons, Martijn, 6, a rugged looking pirate with an eye patch and purple-haired Jasper, 4, to each display as they checked out everything from police scuba gear to the ambulance.

``We heard about the party from a friend, said Steendam, who is from Holland but now lives in Great Bridge. ``At home we celebrate St. Marten, a similar holiday, with songs and candy. But it's nothing like this.''

As the party drew to a close, Jasper summed up the night for all the ages, ``I liked everything.''

And the president of the Crime Prevention Council, Cherrell Turner added ``Everyone's safe. That's what counts.'' MEMO: For more information about the Chesapeake Crime Prevention

Council, call Cherrell Turner at 488-3303 or the Chesapeake Crime

Prevention Unit at 543-0142. ILLUSTRATION: Photos including color cover by PHILIP HOLMAN

Dressed as a priate, Martjin Steendam gets a lift onto a police

motorcycle by Chesapeake officer Perry Bossuot at Great Bridge

Community Center.

A group of children huddles around ``Pluggie,'' a robotic fire

hydrant whose voice sounded much like Fire Inspector R. C. Anderson.

Officer Ralph Priest of the Chesapeake Police Department

fingerprints Michael Thomas, 7, as part of the children's

identification program.

Britani Grandison, 8, right, and her sister, Ivana, 7, got a jump

start on Halloween treats with some cotton candy.

Graphic

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

Here are the laws and suggestions for trick-or-treating tonight

on Halloween:

The law

Children must be 12 and younger

Trick-or-treating hours are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone over 12 who goes out to trick-or-treat on Halloween night

can be charged with a class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a fine of

between $25 and $100 or up to six months in jail.

Although the city's regular curfew prohibits those younger than

16 from being out of their homes after 11 p.m., on Halloween ALL

minors are expected to be home by 8 p.m.

The tips

Adults should accompany all children when out trick-or-treating,

even if the child is 11 or 12 years old.

Children should wear light colored costumes short enough to

prevent tripping. Add reflective tape to all costumes.

Make sure all children carry flash lights, wear reflective

clothing or carry one of those glow sticks.

Make sure children are able to see well through face masks or

better yet have them wear make-up instead of a mask.

Watch for all traffic.

Stay within the neighborhood and only visit familiar homes and

those with lighted porches.

Wear shoes that fit; avoid oversized costume shoes.

Avoid hard plastic, metal or wood props; substitute with foam

rubber.

Only accept and/or give out treats that are pre-wrapped or

packaged.

Examine all candy before allowing kids to eat it. If your child

does receive something suspicious, remember the address where it was

obtained and contact the Chesapeake Police at 382-6161.

Keep costumed children away from pets. The pet may not recognize

the child and become frightened.

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