DEA TO GIVE PORTSMOUTH HELP FIGHTING DRUG ILLS

PORTSMOUTH -- The crowds on neighborhood street corners have grown. More
cars are joining 24-hour parades outside certain houses.

Reported incidents of crimes related to drug possession and sales in the
city have nearly doubled in two years, according to police reports. And
street trafficking of cocaine and heroin increased in 2001, according to
former police Chief Leonard G. Cooke.

To combat drug-related crime, Cooke asked the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration for help last November.

On Monday, that help officially arrives.

Portsmouth was one of three cities nationwide chosen for the federal
agency's Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance program, or IDEA, a pilot
project that combines law enforcement with a communitywide drug-prevention
and treatment plan.

City and community leaders will begin drafting that plan Monday at a two-day
drug summit sponsored by the DEA and the National Crime Prevention Council.

``This is probably one of the first times in the city of Portsmouth that we
have someone in law enforcement. . . at the federal level going out and
meeting the community,'' said Circuit Judge Johnny Morrison, who presides
over the city's drug court. ``This is novel and I think this is
well-needed.''

For residents whose fears have increased with the drug activity on their
streets, the help couldn't come too soon.

Sandra Johnston, 54, worries that drug usage in her Westhaven neighborhood
could escalate into violent crime. But she said she is too afraid of
retaliation to confront anyone.

If it's dark out, 69-year-old Cephas Wright won't walk from his car to his
Prentis Park house without a gun. ``We're prisoners,'' he said. ``We have to
protect ourselves.''

Reported incidents of crimes related to drug possession and sales in the
city jumped from at least 600 to 1,100 or more between 1999 and 2001,
according to a Virginian-Pilot analysis of Portsmouth Police Department
statistics.

Reported incidents of marijuana and heroin possession and sales increased by
more than 75 percent from 1999 to 2001. Cocaine possession and sales
increased by about 45 percent. This growth came at a time when the number of
arrests nationally for drug possession, sales and manufacture saw a modest
decline, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics.

Donald Hundley, Portsmouth's interim police chief, declined to comment about
the city's drug climate. Through a spokesperson, he said he would address it
at the summit.

Some say the increase in reported drug activity reflects more aggressive law
enforcement. Others, however, say there is more drug activity because of the
Police Department's officer shortage.

``They're doing the best they can with the manpower they have,'' said
Johnston, who coordinates the Westhaven Neighborhood Watch. ``But right now,
it's not enough.''

In January, the DEA chose Portsmouth; North Charleston, S.C.; and Allentown,
Pa., out of about 50 applicants for the pilot program. Each has a population
of between 80,000 and 100,000; had from 5.8 to 16.2 violent crimes per 1,000
people in 2001; and has experienced problems with drug crime.

In Portsmouth, about 280 civic, law enforcement, government and business
leaders have been invited to the summit at the Renaissance Hotel, where DEA
Director Asa Hutchinson will speak Monday.

They will discuss ways to reduce the demand for drugs. Their suggestions
will be compiled into a comprehensive plan in the fall.

Michael Kennedy, one of about 15 agents in the DEA's Norfolk office, will
help implement the IDEA plan over a year's time.

IDEA provides no money to Portsmouth, but program coordinators will help the
city identify funding sources, if needed.

To determine the plan's impact, officials will evaluate drug-related crime
and survey young people's attitudes toward drugs after three to five years,
said Pamela Brown, IDEA's national coordinator.

In North Charleston, an April summit's recommendations included setting up
anonymous crime-reporting hot lines; holding presentations at churches about
crime trends; and finding money to revitalize neighborhoods.

Many of the recommendations involved community-building, said Shannon
Praete, grants administrator for North Charleston. ``Zero involved law
enforcement.''

In Portsmouth, Hundley said he looks forward to the brainstorming sessions.

``We have to take a holistic approach to the demands of drugs,'' he said
through a spokesperson in a written statement.

Some residents like the idea of jump-starting grass-roots community efforts
against crime. ``It's putting more energy and resolve to an idea that worked
in the past,'' said Elijah ``Buddy'' Sharp, president of the United Civic
League of Cavalier Manor.

Sharp and Johnston favor creating places for children to go and things for
them to do to keep them from using drugs.

Morrison wants more treatment options for drug users who are not in the
criminal system.

While Wright said more community conversations may not rid his neighborhood
of drug dealers, others are optimistic about a community plan developed with
the DEA's help.

``People are coming to the realization that they cannot depend on law
enforcement and the courts to do it all,'' Morrison said. ``They also have
to be an active participant.''

News researchers Diana Diehl and Jakon Hays contributed to this story.