POLICE CRACKDOWN SPLITS FALLS

Blitz Sparks Fears Of `Two-Tier' Policing

NIAGARA FALLS - A police crackdown in Canada's tourist capital is sparking
controversy.

A special squad of Niagara Region police officers has arrested 500 people
in a month-long drive against drug dealers and johns seeking prostitutes.

But the initiative has angered critics on two fronts: Because the crackdown
on street crime is backed and partly financed by the business community,
some fear it is a step along the road to two-tier policing; and Some worry
that the blitz of arrests will bring bad publicity to Niagara Falls, which
attracts 15 million visitors each year, making it appear the country's
crime capital when national crime statistics are released.

One critic comes from within the police force itself.

``My concern is we now have two-tiered policing,'' said Mike Pratt, the
administrator of the Niagara Region police association, which represents
rank-and-file officers.

``The rich can have one level of policing, and the rest of the citizens are
left with a less adequate level of policing.''

Superintendent K. R. Davidson, the officer in charge of HEAT (High
Enforcement Action Team), has heard the criticism, but makes no apologies
for his aggressive approach to cleaning up the streets.

Areas that were once the domain of hookers, he said, have been reclaimed.

``Crime is down to the lowest level it has been since the turn of the
century,'' Davidson said, himself a throwback to the old style of policing.

He sees nothing wrong with corporate sponsorship, saying the $15,000
donated to the HEAT project in the Falls, and another in St. Catharines,
are more like ``gestures of good faith'' by business leaders. They are not
buying protection.

``Niagara Falls is a nice city and we want to keep it that way. And not
just the tourist areas, but everywhere,'' the 48-year-old, 29-year veteran
of the force said.

Mayor Wayne Thomson has guarded praise for what the police are doing,
calling it ``refreshing.''

But at the same time, he insists the crime problem is not that bad in his
city of 77,000.

Thomson admits his city has to deal with the scourge of illicit narcotics
and crack houses.

But they are isolated to specific parts of the Falls, he said, ``away from
the tourist areas.''

Davidson acknowledged the crime statistics will go up initially, but it
will only be a short-term trend, offset by a drop in related crimes, such
as thefts.

His gung-ho attitude filters down to his team, culled from officers on the
beat and in detective squads.

They have their own uniforms: blue T-shirts, fatigue pants tucked into
high, laced-up boots, the police crest depicted as encased in flames.

Davidson said the HEAT team was modelled after a similar program in New
York City.

It's a proactive approach to policing - stop the crime before it happens,
rather than just react.

``In policing, there is a tendency to throw resources at the big problems
and ignore the small ones. But if you take care of the little ones, the big
ones might not occur.''

Get rid of the street prostitution, for example, and robberies, assaults
and murder begin to fall off as well, he said.

Whether he's in his office, or on the road, Davidson's cell phone is
constantly ringing.

A HEAT squad member calls with a tip about a fight in a nightclub that has
been a trouble spot in the past.

``Weapons?'' Davidson asks, as he turns the cruiser around and heads to the
club.

Other cruisers flood the area and the expected brouhaha fizzles.

``We have a presence on the street,'' Davidson said. ``We have people
calling us if there could be a problem and that will stop a problem from
happening.''

But the costs of maintaining a special squad can be taxing on the
771-member force, with an annual budget around $60 million.

The project that started July 1 was scheduled to end Sept. 7, but there's a
strong chance it will continue, Davidson predicted. One supporter who
doesn't want the HEAT task force to cool off is Tory MPP Bart Maves
(Niagara Falls).

``The (task) force has had a tremendous impact . . . and is off to a great
start,'' he wrote to Niagara Region police.

``Your team must be commended for making Niagara Falls a safer place to live.''

Will other forces across the nation emulate what the police are doing in
Niagara Falls? Davidson chooses his words carefully.

``I'm certainly not going to stand here and tell other police forces how to
do their jobs,'' he said. ``But it's certainly working quite well for us.''