APOLOGY FOLLOWS JUDGE'S HARSH OUTBURST

(Portsmouth)- Circuit Judge James A. Cales Jr., during a private
meeting Wednesday with Police Chief Leonard Cooke, apologized for
harsh comments he made earlier this month about the state of drug
enforcement in the city, a police spokeswoman said.

During the meeting, which the police spokeswoman described as ``very
fruitful,'' Cooke vowed to monitor drug cases to ensure that they are
solid enough to merit convictions. The two men met for about 90
minutes, said Sgt. Elizabeth Romero.

The meeting was arranged after comments Cales made on the bench about
drug enforcement in the city stirred a controversy.

On Aug. 13, the judge dismissed several drug cases and lectured police
and prosecutors for doing virtually nothing to make a dent in
Portsmouth's drug problems except arrest junkies and low-level street
dealers.

From the bench, Cales said people are getting rich from drugs in
Portsmouth, while police and prosecutors, for the most part,
concentrate their resources and time on insignificant junkies. He said
he didn't know if the reason was ``laziness,'' ``ignorance'' or ``any
number of other reasons.''

It was Cooke's idea to meet with the judge, Romero said.
Commonwealth's Attorney Martin Bullock also was invited, police said.
It could not be determined if Bullock attended the meeting. Bullock
has not returned calls to his office.

During the meeting in Cales' chambers, Cooke ``expressed his
disappointment in Cales' remarks,'' Romero said. Cales agreed to voice
his concerns directly to the chief in the future, she said.

``They agreed on the concept of a balanced approach to drug
enforcement,'' said Romero.

Cales has said he can't comment publicly on the matter.

The controversy has divided residents, in Portsmouth and throughout
Hampton Roads, on the appropriate approach to the war on drugs. In
dozens of letters, e-mails and calls to The Virginian-Pilot, many
disagreed with Cales' comments.

But just as many people told The Virginian-Pilot that it is time for
drug enforcement to set its sights on the mid-level and major
suppliers if a dent is to be made in Portsmouth's drug flow.

On Wednesday, Cales received support from some of Portsmouth's civic
leaders. Joseph Wright, a longtime neighborhood crime fighter from
Cavalier Manor, said he spoke with Cales on Wednesday.

``We told him basically he had our support, except for the part about
the criminals going scot-free,'' Wright said.

Selling drugs is still illegal, Wright said, adding that he is afraid
that dismissing charges against street-level users and dealers sends
the wrong message. But, Wright said, ``It's past time to go after the
big boys.''

Wright wrote a letter to Cales, supporting him for his ``courageous
and truthful remarks.''

He wrote, ``You will no doubt be criticized and labeled radical by
some in the police department and prosecutor's office, but most of the
citizens of Portsmouth agree with you.''

Along with Wright, Cales met with Reggie Allen, president of the
Brighton/Prentis Park Civic League and neighborhood patrol, and Willie
Chambers, a member of those organizations. Wright, Allen and Chambers
are regular court watchers.

Allen said he agreed with what the judge said about going after the
big drug dealers. But he knows firsthand about the havoc the rest of
the drug element can cause to his community, he added.

He's seen 15 to 20 men standing in front of a neighborhood store,
running back and forth to cars, he said. It's the kind of scene that
keeps residents of the community from feeling safe going to some of
these stores, he said.

``Little ladies couldn't get to the beauty shop,'' he said. ``That was
one of the reasons they were cracking down on those kinds of dealers.''

Allen knows it costs money and time to go after the ``small-time
guys,'' and he also wants to see the department go after the big
dealers. But he doesn't think dismissing cases is the answer.

Cales' harsh remarks about drug enforcement in Portsmouth came as he
heard police and prosecutors' case against Nathaniel Arthur Gray, 50,
of Portsmouth.

Gray was one of nearly 50 people indicted during ``Operation
Shutdown,'' an undercover drug investigation that began last September.

According to a court transcript, Gray passed to an undercover agent
0.10 gram of cocaine from a drug dealer. He was charged with selling
cocaine and conspiracy to sell cocaine on Jan. 19.

Gray's case was dismissed along with 12 others. Nearly all the cases
involved amounts of heroin or cocaine so minute they measured in
fractions of a gram. A gram is roughly the weight of a paper clip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reach John Hopkins at 446-2793 or at JHopkins@pilotonline.com Reach
Janie Bryant at 446-2453 or jbryant@pilotonline.com