'PROJECT EXILE' NOW EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE

I wouldn't ordinarily tell you to do this, but if it's still early morning
- -- turn on your TV.

"Project Exile" is a star.

And so is Richmond, and so are the city police and so is the federal
prosecutor's office.

Sometime between 7 and 8 o'clock this morning, NBC-TV's "Today" show is
scheduled to devote a segment to Richmond's combined federal-state
lock-'em-up program.

"Project Exile," it seems, is an overnight sensation.

The partnership among local, state and federal law enforcement folks, which
automatically gives criminals with guns an extra five years in federal
prison, is actually 2 years old. It has received plenty of TV and newspaper
coverage in Richmond -- and even a pair of out-of-state segments -- but now
it's going national.

It's not just the "Today" show, either.

Time magazine, in the Aug. 16 issue that hit the newsstands this week,
unveiled a flattering full-page article on Richmond and the project.

And CBS News will be down in Richmond today to tape its own piece.

Even Reader's Digest has been here, preparing an article to run in the
fall. So why the sudden fuss over Richmond, a city that previously could
get national interest only for refighting the Civil War on its floodwall?

Cynthia Price, spokeswoman for the city police, credits recent figures that
show Richmond's once-horrific murder figures are way down and gun seizures
are up.

"Obviously it's great for the entire community," she said. "But we have a
lot of officers who are doing such a tremendous job out there, it's such a
morale boost for them, too. And it's also a reflection on the people in our
community, who are coming to police officers to help them now."

Time magazine highlighted Richmond's drop in murders from 140 in 1997 to 94
last year to 32 in the first half of this year. Project Exile got much of
the credit. "It worked," the magazine declared.

A former Richmond TV reporter now at NBC was able to sell her bosses on the
story, Price said. That "Today" story was to have run yesterday but the
Salt Lake City tornado bumped it.

Time's story, Price said, originally was a possible cover story. But it,
too, got bumped -- by the killing rampage two weeks ago in an Atlanta
day-trading office.

"The story ended up running this week and not a cover story, obviously,"
she said. "But it still shows the success of Richmond, Va."

Police Chief Jerry Oliver, who testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee
on Project Exile a few months ago, and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Comey
are among those being sought by the national media.

The story is perfect -- almost.

Not every federal judge has been thrilled to have state court crimes
brought into his court so a gun sentence can be tacked on, for instance.
And new Virginia laws that mirror the federal approach have already run
into trouble over the constitutionality of no-bond provisions.

But Project Exile has drawn praise from nearly everyone -- from criminals
and the National Rifle Association alike, from law enforcement agencies and
big-city bureaucrats alike, even from President Clinton and George W. Bush
alike.

"I think it's really exciting," Price said of the recent coverage. "It's
creating some energy about the good things that are going on."

A star is born.

Everybody Loves Richmond.