MURDER - FIGHTING TO PREVENT IT IS EVERYONE'S JOB

Though Charlotte's murder rate jumped up last year, it was still far below
the rate in several earlier years. And statistically, murder represents
only a tiny fraction of serious crime here - about .2 percent. But murder
is an attention-getter, so Police Chief Darrel Stephens went before the
City Council Monday night to talk about causes and cures for a 29 percent
increase in the homicide rate during 1999.

His presentation was deep and detailed. He analyzed homicide by year, by
month, by location. He examined victims and offenders by age, race, gender
and relationship to each other. He detailed the weapons used - handguns, in
a runaway majority of cases.

Council members listened attentively and asked for elaboration on various
points. We noted these:

Though Charlotte's murder rate is higher than the nation's, the national
figure includes rural areas, where crime rates are lower. Cities of
comparable size have, on average, murder rates above Charlotte's.

Investigators attribute 21 of the year's 84 killings directly to the drug
trade. Chief Stephens noted that 52 of the murders took place outdoors, and
said this also suggests a relationship to drug dealing.

Victims and killers very often know each other, the chief reported, and
usually are of the same race. In 1999, 70 percent of murder victims were
African American. In the 59 cases with a known suspect, 78 percent of the
suspects are African American.

Chief Stephens also outlined an embracing program of countermeasures
tailored to each of the department's four geographic service areas. They'll
target street-level drug dealing and domestic violence prevention. They'll
include outreach to Asian and Latino communities and to youth in general.

Police will work with other community agencies to turn prostitutes and drug
addicts away from high-risk lifestyles. And the department will seek
partnerships with the faith community, especially in services to youth.

The presentation was impressive, as was the visible philosophy behind it.
Chief Stephens and his department continue to believe that prevention is a
hallmark of the best police work, and that public safety is the
responsibility of everyone in the community. "We need leadership from
everywhere ," he said.

Hear, hear.