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.