GROUP SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO EASE CRIME, DRUG TRADE

Stopping crime, not putting the brakes on Main Street cruisers, will be the
focus of a Cruising Partnership meeting today. Scheduled for 6 p.m. at
Morehead Recreation Center on 101 Price St., the public gathering will mark
the second meeting of the partnership, a collaboration of police,
merchants, residents and other government agencies.

The group plans to discuss ways to reduce the negative effects of cruising,
including littering, loitering and more serious crimes, said police
attorney Al Andrews. Although Andrews described High Point as the "cruising
mecca of North Carolina," he said the goal of the partnership is to "reduce
or eliminate cruising-related criminal activity."

"Though it is onerous or bothersome to have large amounts of people
congregating on business property after hours, it may not be a crime,"
Andrews said.

He said the department recommends that businesses take five steps to reduce
cruising-related problems: post no trespassing signs; hire security guards;
place barriers at entrances; prevent alcohol sales to minors or those who
buy for minors; and make the issue a priority for managers and employees.

Apart from the obvious benefits of reducing unwanted activity, following
those recommendations may spare businesses from lawsuits brought by
customers who receive injuries or property damage by cruisers on their
property, Andrews said.

The attorney said the partnership welcomes additional suggestions and will
use the meeting as a "forum for businesses to communicate successes and
failures as it relates to cruising."

One suggestion Andrews already has considered and rejects is to create a
cruising complex. Andrews said this would lead to a potentially combustible
mixture of underage youth and alcohol in a confined area.

Increased crime, Andrews said, goes hand in hand with an estimated 2,000
cruisers who flood into an area of N. Main Street between Lexington Avenue
and Westover Drive on Friday and Saturday nights.

Most are from out of town, living as far away as Fayetteville and Charlotte.

Major problems include drugs, underage drinking and assaults.

"This is not Happy Days cruising," Andrews said. "The drug sales are
tremendous."