DRUG SUMMIT OPENS IN PORTSMOUTH

PORTSMOUTH -- In a banquet hall blooming with legal-size business pads, a
group of city and community leaders shared their frustrations with the
juvenile justice system. "The problem is your people today do not fear
jail," Pastor Elbert Knight said to murmurs of agreement.

Regina Davis elaborated.

"When they commit the crime, they're going to get out," said Davis, who
works for Portsmouth Public Schools. "They get a slap on the wrist."

Their discussion was one of nine conducted simultaneously Monday during a
drug summit sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the
National Crime Prevention Council. The two-day summit at the Renaissance
Hotel is part of a DEA pilot program that couples law enforcement with a
community treatment and prevention plan.

Portsmouth was one of three cities nationwide chosen for the program.

During the summit's first day, nearly 150 people gathered to learn why
Portsmouth suffers from drug crime and to brainstorm about problems and
barriers to solving them. Today, they will discuss solutions.

"We want to work with you to change the culture of Portsmouth," DEA
Director Asa Hutchinson said during the keynote speech. "You have a drug
problem, and I think you know that. . . . We are here because this city
wants to do something about it."

Poverty, the availability of drugs and the high rates of child abuse and
domestic violence are among the factors creating an environment conducive
to drug use, Interim Police Chief Donald Hundley said.

DEA Special Agent Michael Kennedy outlined some details of Portsmouth's
drug problem:

a.. Law enforcement officials seized nearly $410,000 worth of cocaine and
$120,000 worth of heroin in Portsmouth in 2001.

a.. Maryview Medical Center's emergency room had nearly 300 visits for
drug-related ailments in 2001.

a.. The city tallied 1,182 narcotics violations in 2001. Some of the city's
drug crime stems from street dealers supplying users who come from around
Hampton Roads, Hundley said. A recent increase in reported drug-related
incidents may be caused by the police department's officer shortage or by a
new organization picking up the drug trade, he said.

"Someone is coming in filling the void," Hundley said. "It's such a
lucrative business."

Summit participants said they welcome the chance to share their experiences
with others who view the problem from different angles.

"You have an opportunity to hear what other people believe is the problem,"
said Helena Gourdine-Thorpe, who works for Portsmouth Behavioral Health
Services, a city department that handles some health services.

Knight said he was frustrated and disappointed by the drug-crime
statistics, which were higher than he'd expected.

His church, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, has a substance abuse treatment
program, and he hopes to leave the summit with more financial support for
it from the city and the DEA.

"We are coming up with some good solutions," Knight said. "Whether they
will be put into action or not remains to be seen."