CRIME CONCERNS A KEY ISSUE

Officials Debate Significanceof Rising Statistics For Region

HUNTINGTON -- Steve Ross is frightened of his neighborhood.

What used to be a quiet residential area just outside downtown Huntington
has turned into a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes, says Ross, a
resident of the 600 block of 5th Street.

From his living room window, he watches prostitutes solicit motorists and
drug dealers sell merchandise to their customers.

He takes notes. On Wednesday alone, he saw as many as eight prostitutes buy
drugs 12 different times in a church parking lot or on the sidewalk in
front of the church, he says.

"If I just see a few girls standing around talking, that's one thing," Ross
said. "But when I see merchandise and money change hands among girls who
then walk back to their regular corner, that's another."

Soon, Ross says he won't have to worry about drugs and prostitution, but
not because he thinks the problems will go away. When his daughter
graduates from Marshall University in two years, he is moving back to his
native Greenbrier County. He can't take the crime anymore.

"I want to stay in Huntington, but I've realized that crime isn't limited
to one or two areas anymore. It's in the West End, the South Side, the East
End, you name it," Ross said. "When I see my neighbors walking their dog
with a can of mace and billy clubs, and when I have to wait up late at
night to walk my daughter from her car into the house, that sends up red
flags."

Ross and other residents say they think crime has skyrocketed in
Huntington, especially since 16 police officers were laid off in 2002.
Crime reports and arrests are up over the past three years, but police and
officials debate whether the statistics really give a true picture of what
is going on.

Some residents say recent, highly-publicized crimes such as the murder of a
prostitute in the 500 block of 5th Street or a methamphetamine lab bust on
9th Street Plaza are enough to convince them crime is escalating.

Others say their fear evolves around smaller crimes that are occurring more
frequently.

"The destruction of property, graffiti and burglaries are what have me
concerned," said Don Watts, who lives in the 1100 block of 10th Ave.
"Criminals know there are less officers, so they're taking advantage of the
situation."

According to Huntington Police Department statistics, reported offenses for
eight major crimes -- murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny,
auto theft and drugs -- increased 22.5 percent between 2000 and 2003.

During that same time period, budget constraints forced the Huntington
Police Department's staffing to plummet from 103 sworn officers in January
2001 to 75 in July 2002. Currently, the Police Department has 88 budgeted
positions, though only 78 are currently working, said Lt. Hank Dial, public
information officer for the Huntington Police Department. The department is
expected to hire four more officers in September, he said.

Validity of statistics an ongoing debate

An increase in the number of offenses reported does not necessarily mean
that crime is rising, Police Chief Arthur E. "Gene" Baumgardner said.

"Reported offenses give us a trend to look at and something to think about,
but those numbers don't show how many of those reports turn out to be
valid," Baumgardner said. "In a lot of cases, what is reported and what
turns out to be the truth is different. That's what I've discovered
throughout my career."

Related story Compiling statistics complex, essential

Dr. Jim Nolan, a professor of sociology at West Virginia University who has
researched policing practices and the sociological impact crime has on
communities, said reported offenses are one of the few indicators law
enforcement agencies have to determine whether crime is rising.

"Even though every crime does not get reported, the serious ones do. That's
why the number of reported offenses are a true reflection of a rise or
decline in crime," Nolan said. "Rarely do offense reports increase because
police suddenly become supersensitive or vigilant in their reporting
practices."

Baumgardner said reported arrests are more telling than reported offenses.
According to statistics provided to the West Virginia State Police by the
HPD, arrests for the eight major crimes rose from 323 in 2000 to 488 in
2003. More than half of the arrests in 2003 were for drugs.

"Our main problem is crack cocaine and all of the crimes that are committed
as a result of it," Baumgardner said. "We're working hard on it, and our
arrests have increased tremendously."

Baumgardner declined to comment on how the HPD's drug unit has been
reorganized since the 2002 layoffs, only to say it has been supplemented
with hefty amounts of overtime.

If money were not an issue, Baumgardner said he would like to have 115
police officers.

"Of course we'd be doing a better job with that many officers, but I can
guarantee you that the eight major crimes are our top priority and are
being worked on consistently."

Ross is not so sure of that. As he saw more than a dozen drug transactions
near his house Wednesday, he said he made repeated calls and visits to the
Police Department. As of Friday, no one from the Police Department had
contacted him.

"I'm not going to knock the HPD, because I know they are understaffed and
under-equipped compared to what they are up against," Ross said. "I just
want to know what their priorities are. Does there have to be bloodshed or
large quantities of drugs involved before they return a call?"

Candidates weigh in

Crime and police staffing are likely to be two of the most
intensely-debated issues in the upcoming mayor's race between Democratic
incumbent David Felinton and Republican challenger Gordon Ramey II.

Felinton appointed Ramey as police chief when he was elected in 2000. Ramey
lasted only 14 months, though, when Felinton fired him in May 2002, just
weeks before 16 police officers were laid off. Ramey contended that he was
fired for being vocal about the negative effects of the layoffs, while
Felinton said Ramey was scaring residents and could not handle reorganizing
the department.

Felinton said it's "upsetting" to see the number of offenses rise in the
past three years. However, that's the national trend, he said.

"I think the numbers will show that crime has gone up in any five-year span
that you look at from the past 15 or 20 years," he said. "It's refreshing
to see the arrests going up, especially with the resources we've had.

"That shows the outstanding leadership of the chief. For the first time in
a while, Huntington has a chief who is a leader and commands respect from
the department and his officers."

Ramey contends that crime is much higher than what the number of offenses
being reported indicate. While serious crimes like robbery will nearly
always be reported, many lesser offenses such as larceny or vandalism are
probably going unreported, he said.

"A lot of citizens get discouraged by the fact that they have to wait two
or three hours to file a report," Ramey said. "The lack of adequate
response time is something I warned would happen when the mayor proposed
the layoffs."

City Councilman Larry Patterson, who represents Fairfield West, an area
that has been plagued with drug activity in recent years, agrees with Ramey.

"It's evident that crime has increased as we look at the blatant drug
trafficking in the daytime hours and the increased number of prostitutes
and panhandlers combing the downtown area," he said. "Even if we were to
say the crime rate has gone down or not changed, what my constituents see
with their eyes is that it has worsened."

Unified communities key to fight against crime

Though it's not an easy task, Nolan said law enforcement agencies can quell
residents' fears by helping neighborhoods integrate.

"Sometimes, police see that their only purpose is to reduce crime, but not
to unify communities," Nolan said. "Many neighborhoods have structural
constraints, but there is a process in which police can take a leadership
role and get people connected."

Neighborhoods inundated with crime are typically dependent on police to
eradicate it from their area, Nolan said.

"I compare a neighborhood dependent on police to someone who is not sick,
but has a very low immune system," Nolan said. "The irony is that the more
efficient the police become in fixing problems, the less likely it is that
the community will get involved and become integrated."

A community that is interdependent still relies on police protection, but
can work closely with law enforcement in solving problems, Nolan said.

Baumgardner said he's not sure if police can work any closer with
neighborhoods in Huntington than they already do. Officers attend monthly
neighborhood association meetings across the city to inform residents how
they can make their areas safer, while collecting complaints at the same
time, he said.

The HPD is open to helping residents form neighborhood watch programs, Dial
said. But past attempts have not been that successful.

"Most of the watch groups we have seen will flair out after one or two
months or will begin to interfere with police work," Dial said. "Some even
developed antagonistic relationships with their neighbors."

One group that has been helpful, Dial said, is 2nd District Community
Watch, a West End organization consisting of about 20 residents.

The organization formed in 2002, shortly after a Huntington Police officer
was shot while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect on Monroe Avenue.

John Belcher, president of the watch program, said he is willing to help
out any neighborhood that wants to form similar groups. So far, only
Fairfield West residents have shown interest, he said.

"We've never put our members in harm's way. It's not about getting directly
involved," Belcher said. "The most effective thing people can do is watch,
listen and write things down. The less that the criminal element knows
about the watch program, the more information we are able to ascertain on
them."

Huntington crime statistics

The chart below shows the rise of crime reports and arrests over recent
years for the eight major crime categories. The offenses come from
Huntington Police Department statistics, the arrests from W.Va. State
Police statistics.

Offenses reported:

Murder / Rape / Robbery / Assault / Burglary / Larceny / Auto theft /
Drugs* / Total

2000: 5 / 38 / 87 / 101 / 1,081 / 1,554 / 178 / 336 / 3,380

2001: 2 / 40 / 143 / 166 / 860 / 2,077 / 282 / 281 / 3,851

2002: 4 / 50 / 123 / 134 / 813 / 2,232 / 314 / 221 / 3,891

2003: 5 / 64 / 143 / 113 / 1,021 / 2,358 / 306 / 355 / 4,365

Arrests reported:

Murder / Rape / Robbery / Assault / Burglary / Larceny / Auto theft /
Drugs* / Total

2000: 1 / 2 / 23 / 46 / 51 / 39 / 4 / 157 / 323

2001: 2 / 0 / 19 / 21 / 56 / 33 / 7 / 139 / 277

2002: 5 / 4 / 25 / 23 / 23 / 41 / 6 / 131 / 258

2003: 2 / 4 / 26 / 26 / 67 / 73 / 21 / 269 / 488

* Includes possession and paraphernalia

**Larceny citations were not counted as arrests

Source: Huntington Police Department; West Virginia State Police