DEALERS' CHOICE

(Editor's note: Steubenville Police Chief William McCafferty spent an
afternoon driving through the Pleasant Heights area of his city with
The Intelligencer's Gabe Wells to discuss the April 24 murder of Trey
Harris and the role drugs play in the neighborhood.)

STEUBENVILLE - Violence and drug activity in the area of a recent
Steubenville murder has declined, but Police Chief William McCafferty
believes it is possible that the drug pushers may have simply migrated
to a different part of the city. Steubenville resident Trey Harris was
shot dead on April 24 in the 500 block of Maxwell Avenue in the
Pleasant Heights area of the city. Shayne Birden, 18, has been charged
with the murder and Timothy McGowan, 21, has been charged as an
accomplice. Both Steubenville residents are suspected to be members of
the Chicago Boys gang. Members of that gang are believed to be
regularly selling drugs on Maxwell Avenue in the Pleasant Heights area.

McCafferty said he does not know how many members the Chicago Boys may
have because they leave the area frequently. He noted that Birden may
have been the Steuben-ville connection to drugs from Chicago, and it
is possible that the Chicago Boys originated in the Steubenville area
in the early 1990s.

"It's no secret that Birden was one of the main players in the
Steubenville-Chicago connection," McCafferty said. "They are receiving
the drugs from Chicago and selling it here. The Chicago Boys go back
to when I was patrolman in the early '90s when there were a few
juveniles who moved here from Chicago. They (current members) might
have some connection to the original Chicago Boys. The people with the
Chicago Boys may have taken in some Steubenville people as members.
It's hard to tell because they come in on buses and leave."

During a tour through the area, McCafferty drove slowly down Maxwell
Avenue near the area where Harris was killed as three men gathered on
a sidewalk in front of an abandoned home. The men took a good, long
look at the chief's unmarked vehicle before realizing who was behind
the wheel. They then decided it was time to leave.

Although two of the men left hastily, one did wave to the chief before
heading off.

McCafferty said Harris, who was known as "Scooby" to his friends, was
killed after four shots ripped into his back. Abandoned homes and
buildings on Maxwell Avenue are evidence that Harris is sadly missed
as nearly all of them are spray painted with "R.I.P. Scooby" or
something to that effect.

A number of the homes on Maxwell Avenue are vacant and the sidewalks
are covered with litter. After getting out of his vehicle and
observing the trash covering the ground, McCafferty bent down and
picked up a piece of a plastic bag.

"There was crack in this," McCafferty said. "This is what they put the
rock in when they deal."

After McCafferty surveyed the area for about five minutes, he learned
at least one resident was not pleased with his presence in the area.

"Go away," a man yelled from an open window. McCafferty said he has
heard such remarks in the past. "What can you do?" McCafferty questioned.

But, the presence of McCafferty and other Steubenville police officers
in the area has calmed violence and drug activity on Maxwell Avenue.

McCafferty said patrols of the area have been increased since the
murder.

McCafferty frequently drives through the area when he is off duty and
dressed in plain clothes in his own vehicle.

"It's been pretty quiet," McCafferty said.

Although drug activity on Maxwell Avenue has slowed, it does not mean
drugs are not being dealt. McCafferty drove through a number of
Steubenville streets, and on many he would say, "There used to be a
lot of drugs here."

What McCafferty described was a push-down pop-up effect in drug
enforcement. When patrol is increased in a particular area, the drug
dealers simply move to another location away from the increased police
watch. He said it is possible that dealers who sold on Maxwell Avenue
have moved on to other areas of the city. McCafferty noted that
dealers will likely relocate to an area where there are vacant homes
on private properties.

According to the chief, police have difficulty in areas with vacant
homes because they are private properties. He added that not everyone
is a drug dealer even in areas with a lot of drug activity. He went on
to say that drug dealers also utilize technology to ensure that they
are not caught.

"It's private property," McCafferty said. "You don't know if they have
drugs. There is no probable cause.

"It's hard to enforce without a complaint (from neighbors). Some
people are just there hanging out. Just because your friends are drug
dealers does not mean you are a drug dealer.

"They have cell phones and walkie-talkies," the chief added. "If they
see one of us coming they can just call their buddy and tell them we
are coming."

McCafferty said there has been a problem with drugs and violence on
Maxwell Avenue, but he stressed there have been misleading reports
about the entire Pleasant Heights area.

He said, with just a few exceptions, Pleasant Heights neighborhoods
are peaceful and its residents are law-abiding citizens. McCafferty
noted that Steubenville's problems are common in all cities.

"It's not the entire area, it's one street," McCafferty said. "People
are congregating there. Shootings happen throughout the country. In
larger and smaller cities they happen. We have extra patrols out, and
we are patrolling the area heavily. It doesn't just happen in our
community. It happens everywhere.

"Recently, we were voted one of the safest cities with under 200,000
people nationwide," McCafferty added.

"I hate to keep saying this, but anyone who gets assaulted in
Steubenville is usually involved in something they shouldn't been
involved in."