RESIDENTS SOUND OFF ON CRIME, POLICE PRESENCE

Officials Use Meetings To Help Them Decide How To Organize Patrols

Rock Hill residents who attended three community crime forums last
week said they were concerned that drugs, thefts and a lack of police
presence are eroding the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

The type of crime varied among the neighborhoods. Residents in the
northern part of town were mostly concerned about speeding drivers and
school safety. Central Rock Hill residents were plagued by burglaries
and the sight of drug dealers on street corners.

Chief John Gregory and three of his captains -- Charles Cabaniss, Mark
Bollinger and John Thickens -- held the forums to inform residents of
crime trends and hear comments that will help them decide how to
organize patrols around the city.

During presentations at the beginning of each forum, the officers told
residents that growth citywide -- especially on Dave Lyle Boulevard --
has caused a surge in the number of calls they receive. Each year from
2000 to 2002, police received about 5,000 calls. Officers project that
by the end of this year, they will have answered about 5,500 calls.

Meanwhile, residential and business burglaries increased 112 percent
between 2000 and 2002. Larcenies increased 11 percent during that time.

Gregory said the increase in calls, as well as police staffing
shortages, mean that police spend most of their time driving from call
to call and less time patrolling neighborhoods.

The reduction in patrols was apparent to several residents who asked
Gregory why they didn't see more police driving through their
neighborhoods.

During Tuesday's forum at City Hall, one resident of the Marion/Green
Street neighborhood said he was concerned that the growth on the
fringes of Rock Hill is taking police resources away from the center
of the city. In recent years, officer shortages have forced police to
eliminate bike patrols and discontinue staffing in two neighborhood
police substations.

"This district has just been taken over by the drug dealers,
prostitutes and the people who want to rob the Family Dollar whenever
they want," said the man, who asked that his name not be published
because he fears retaliation from drug dealers.

The resident told police that he and his neighbors have found liquor
bottles, used condoms and evidence from burglaries left in their yards.

"All we want is a crime-free neighborhood," he told the officers.
"Anytime you want to sit on my porch with me ... you'll see what I
see."

Alicia Smith, a resident of the Flint Hill neighborhood, shared those
concerns and urged police not to give up on her community.

"There are a lot of us out there who still care, who still want to
make a difference," she said.

Cabaniss replied, "We haven't given up on your neighborhood, and
people like you are the reason why."

Gregory said he is developing a plan that would change the way the
police shifts are organized next year. He said the plan should
increase officer accountability and allow officers to spend more time
focusing on neighborhood-specific problems.

Gregory said the restructuring also should allow officers to get more
training so they are more efficient. About 40 of the department's 68
officers have less than five years experience. He said that
inexperience can make officers slow to respond to and resolve calls.

Residents who attended Thursday's meeting at the Boyd Hill Recreation
Center had similar concerns. That neighborhood is in west Rock Hill
just north of Cherry Road.

Floree Hooper, a member of the Boyd Hill Neighborhood Association,
said her neighbors were concerned about a strip club in their
neighborhood. Hooper said residents often find beer bottles and trash
in their front yards. One woman awoke one morning to find a customer's
pickup truck had smashed through her fence and was parked in her back
yard, she said.

That woman and several other residents have since moved.

"We don't want to lose any more good neighbors because of this,"
Hooper said.

Boyd Hill resident Robert Leaks, a father of three, said he was
worried about drug dealers in his neighborhood. He said the dealers
always come back even after being arrested.

"I've been thinking about pulling up stakes and moving myself," he
said.

Gregory explained that drug arrests always have been a priority
countywide and that the York County Multijurisdictional Drug
Enforcement Unit handles the city's drug investigations. In 2000, the
unit made 556 arrests countywide, he said. Already this year, the unit
has made 761 arrests, an increase of 37 percent.

Gregory said residents often think nothing is being done because they
don't realize that undercover officers are making the arrests.
However, he said the comments could lead him to assign uniformed
officers to stand on street corners to deter dealing.

Residents who attended Monday's meeting at the Laurel Creek
subdivision clubhouse had very different concerns. Residents of that
area, north of Celanese Road, were more concerned with drivers
speeding through school zones.

Virginia Moe, who lives in the Hidden Forest subdivision, said she was
concerned about safety in the schools. She also said she hoped the
police would become role models for children in school.

"I would want to see more police in the schools," Moe said. "I wish
there was one in every school."

About 50 people attended the forums. Gregory said he was pleased to
hear their comments. Gregory said he and his staff will meet this week
to try to find ways to incorporate the concerns in next year's
crime-fighting strategy.

"We didn't take this lightly. We really wanted that feedback," Gregory
said Friday afternoon. "Those people represented more than one person
in a lot of instances. They were speaking volumes for an entire community."