DUNBAR OFFICIALS DISCUSS DRUG ACTIVITY

Members of the Dunbar community say they are concerned about what they see as an
increase in drug activity.

Former city resident James Shook told members of city council at its
Monday night meeting that he has been in town visiting with his
elderly grandfather who lives in the neighborhood of 13th Street and
Grosscup Avenue.

Shook said the area is a "free for all."

Shook says he has been approached several times by drug dealers
offering to sell him drugs. He said he is concerned for his
grandfather and other elderly members of the community.

Shook attended the meeting as an invited guest speaker by council
member Dana Hayes.

"I feel safer in my neighborhood in New York City than I do here, and
that's the truth," Shook said.

"You're over-dramatizing. Dunbar is heck of a lot safer," said council
member John Coleman.

Coleman said that there are things being done about drug activity, but
he would not explain them because the actions are ongoing. He and
other council members urged Dunbar residents to call the police if
they see any suspicious activity.

Dunbar police have been working with the Kanawha County Sheriff's
office and the Drug Enforcement Administration to try to control the
growing drug problem, Police Chief Terry Coleman said.

The only way to succeed is for the community and the police to work
together, Terry Coleman said.

"The community must get involved. We cannot watch every house every
minute, but we can respond," Terry Coleman said.

He said the city works in the community through Crime Watch, School
Resource Officer, and Victims Advocate programs, he said.

Terry Coleman reports that crime in the Dutch Hollow area has
decreased 80 percent since the implementation of the Reach Out program.