Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jan 2004
Source: Courier-Journal, The (KY)
Copyright: 2004 The Courier-Journal
Contact:  http://www.courier-journal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/97
Author: Jessie Halladay

POLICE WORK ON COMMUNITY TIES

New Unit Strives To Expand Reach Of Programs

They teach second-graders to buckle their seat belts and to avoid strangers.

They play basketball and soccer with older kids, discuss the dangers of 
illegal drug use with fifth-graders, patrol halls at some schools and track 
the complaints that come into the Louisville Metro Police chief's office.

Last year, 13 officers were pulled from duties like patrol to focus on one 
thing: building bridges between police and residents.

Chief Robert White started the Community Relations unit in March after 
taking over the newly merged Louisville-Jefferson County department a year 
ago. While few of its programs are new, they've grown and become more 
effective because the officers don't have to divide their focus, said Maj. 
Troy Riggs, who oversees the unit.

For example, a sports program that in 2000 worked with about 80 kids in 
central Louisville now reaches about 500 children in four police districts.

The specialized unit "has allowed us to do a lot more outreach," Riggs said.

Part of the unit's mission is to make the department less intimidating to 
people - especially useful, Riggs said, during times of intense criticism, 
such as after the Jan. 3 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Michael Newby by an 
undercover police officer.

Since the shooting, the unit's officers have fielded many questions from 
adults and children, he said.

Because people know these officers, they "feel more comfortable talking to 
them and asking them questions," Riggs said.

Officers try to tell people the same thing that White has been saying - 
that the department will conduct a complete investigation and provide 
information to the public as it can.

Sports open doors

When Officer Charles Jones started the Police Athletic League's youth 
sports program in the summer of 2000, it ran a couple of leagues in central 
Louisville's Fifth District.

Jones, a former University of Louisville basketball standout who played in 
the pros, remembers pleading with fellow officers to lend a hand.

Now, as a member of the Community Relations unit, Jones can draw on more 
money and more people. Since March, the PAL program has created additional 
leagues in four of the department's 10 districts, with programs in more 
districts planned, Jones said.

One of the new leagues is at Newburg Middle School, where Loretta Wilson 
sat in the stands last month watching her 11-year-old son, Domonique 
Alexander, pound up and down the basketball court amid a sea of boys filled 
with enthusiasm.

Wilson sat behind three uniformed officers running the scoreboard, while 
another officer moved around the gym talking to youngsters and parents. In 
this league, teachers and parents do the coaching, but the officers come to 
show the boys on the court and in the stands what can happen in a community 
when people get involved.

They also hope to be the mentors - open and friendly, but with high 
standards - that some of the children need to build productive lives.

Meanwhile, the youngsters learn respect for each other and for authority 
"so that when they're out there on the streets they don't become a problem 
for the community," Jones said.

He and other members of the unit were chosen for the job because they had 
demonstrated a commitment to work with the community, Riggs said. Each 
member puts in long hours, and they're often on the job well after their 
shift ends.

Lt. Jeff Manning, for instance, who runs the unit's daily operations, often 
brings his two children along for evening programs. His son plays in the 
Newburg PAL program.

The schedule can be grueling, Manning said, but he believes the 
face-to-face contact is important. "That's why we put in these extra 
hours," he said, "to get the one-on-one with the community."

Wilson said she and other parents appreciate the effort because her son and 
his friends "are at the age where they're real vulnerable. This keeps them 
off the streets."

And the officers know they are reaching people.

"Not only am I getting the trust of the kids, I'm also getting the trust of 
the parents," said Officer Minerva Virola, who manages a new PAL soccer 
league for about 45 youngsters ages 8 to 13 at the Americana Community 
Center on Southland Boulevard.

It gives 13-year-old Haris Boskailo, a Bosnian immigrant, a structured way 
to play his favorite sport. Without it, Haris said, he would get no 
coaching from community volunteers and officers.

Haris said he knows if he acts up at practice or his grades slip, "you 
can't play" - so he keeps his nose clean.

Reaching parents

Edgardo Mansilla, who runs the Americana Community Center, said he has been 
impressed with the work of the new unit.

"They are developing a relationship with the parents of the children," 
Mansilla said. "They are trying to be more accessible. I see them trying to 
reach out to everyone they can."

Mansilla said that's important because in many of the immigrant communities 
he works with - including Hispanics, Somalis and Bosnians - people are used 
to the police being the "bad guys."

Not all of the unit's programs involve long-term relationships. Since 
August, 2,634 second-graders from 44 schools have gone through the day-long 
Safety City program, which uses a model city to teach basic safety - how to 
cross the street, fasten a seat belt, call 911, get out of a fire and wear 
a bicycle helmet.

And in an effort to be more responsive, Riggs said, the unit's officers and 
civilian support staff tracked and responded to all of the 4,000 telephone 
calls and letters that have come into the chief's office since March.

It's the first time the department has documented the response to tips and 
complaints from the public, Riggs said.

On Jan. 5, the unit added nine school resource officers, who patrol 
hallways at a specific building, interact with students, and teach safety 
and anti-drug sessions. When school isn't in session, the officers will 
help with other programs.

And DARE classes - short for Drug Abuse Resistance Education - taught by 
community relations officers are reaching fifth-graders in 118 of the 
area's 125 public and parochial schools this academic year.

A springboard

White acknowledges that the attitudes of responsiveness and community 
involvement must extend beyond the unit.

He said he wants more beat officers to get involved in its programs and 
other initiatives developed to deal with specific neighborhood needs. But 
the unit's efforts can be a springboard, he said.

Districts already have formed citizen advisory groups and are taking on 
their own community projects, such as holding neighborhood forums or 
distributing holiday gifts to children.

Meanwhile, the unit's officers hope to get more civilian volunteers 
involved, said Sgt. David Blake, who oversees that effort. They help by 
staffing police booths at the Kentucky State Fair, serving meals to 
officers during Kentucky Derby week and helping with community meetings.

Carla O'Bannon, 40, of the Fincastle area, donates dozens of hours to the 
department every year. She said that volunteering has helped her see that 
police do not get enough credit for their outreach efforts.

With only about $76,000 for programs in the unit's annual budget, 
donations, grants and corporate sponsors help it do more, Riggs said.

Recently, Louisville Gas and Electric Co. and the police announced a new 
partnership for KidPrint ID. The utility bought $10,000 worth of equipment 
that quickly makes cards on which parents can have their child's vital 
information listed in case the child is lost or taken.

LG&E approached the police with the idea - and the department jumped on it, 
said Doug Bennett, a company spokesman. "They bring a lot of energy," he 
said. "They're really out there."

Upcoming projects

A citizens' police academy for the Hispanic community. Classes will be 
taught in Spanish at St. Rita Catholic Church on Preston Highway.

Participants will learn how police officers do their jobs - everything from 
homicide investigations to dealing with the media.

The eight-week class for 25 people begins Jan. 27. To register, call 574-7452.

Construction of a Habitat for Humanity house this summer. The money will 
come from the sale of replica model police cars currently being designed.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom