CRIME IS KEY ISSUE FOR NEW CITY COUNCIL

A shooting last Sunday night that injured two Huntington teenagers was the
latest reminder that street violence continues to show a dramatic increase.

Drug activity has been at the root of much of the crime, and communities
throughout the Tri-State have been troubled by the trend of dealers from
Columbus, Ohio, Detroit and other big cities setting up shop in Huntington,
Portsmouth and other area cities.

Unfortunately, these drug traffickers see our smaller towns as easy
pickings with higher profit margins and less chance of getting caught. And
they have brought a new level of violence with them.

Statistics show that crime in Huntington has risen steadily in recent
years, but statistics can't capture the fear factor for the residents of
the affected neighborhoods, such as the Fairfield West area, where Sunday's
shootings occurred.

"Things are out of hand," one Artisan Avenue resident told The
Herald-Dispatch earlier this month after another shooting in her
neighborhood -- one of four that weekend across the city.

We agree.

While many of us live in neighborhoods that still enjoy low crime rates and
relative safety, we must recognize that some of our fellow citizens do not.
And reports over the past year show shootings and other incidents of
drug-related violence are occurring in many parts of the city.

Crime and police manpower were key issues in the recent city elections, and
we urge re-elected Mayor David Felinton and a largely new City Council to
tackle this topic early in the new year. An increased police presence is
needed right away, but the city also needs to work with the neighborhoods
on broader solutions, such as drug treatment programs and economic
development efforts.

Councilman Jim Insco, recently elected to a second term, said the
Huntington Police Department has been cut so much, it's now a reactive
department instead of a proactive one.

"It's not a department that has the resources to practice preventive
policing," Insco said last week. Fairfield West, the West End and other
neighborhoods that live with drug traffic daily need a police department
that has the resources to prevent crime and not just wait until people
start shooting at each other.