RIGHT APPROACH - COUNCIL'S TACK ON CRIME SUITS CITY INTERESTS

The Greenville City Council and the Police Community Relations Board
deserve credit for bringing citizens together Wednesday evening to discuss
one of the greatest challenges the city faces. By hearing broad concerns
from neighborhood associations and community watch groups, council members
should better understand the scope of the city's crime problem.

That is an intelligent, measured approach to an issue with an emotional
edge. And that is what has been lacking in City Hall's response to
disturbing questions about public safety.

A state report showed crime in Greenville rose 16.3 percent in 2000, the
highest increase among North Carolina's 15 largest cities. An FBI report
has ranked Greenville first in the state in murders, aggravated assaults
and larcenies, and fourth in the nation in property crimes.

Clearly, public safety is an issue that must be a priority. Yet instead of
reasoned voices, members of the former City Council alternately offered
posturing and a deaf ear. At the time, there was no forum for honest,
fact-based discussion.

At this week's meeting, organized by a City Council to which voters made
dramatic change in November, that discussion finally came. Both citizens
and elected officials did their respective parts.

Speakers noted problems ranging from street-corner drug deals and random
gunfire to senseless property crime and vandalism. They talked about
collective concerns and aired individual fears. The candor of their remarks
should help council members and citizens see that public safety requires a
citywide solution. And their comments articulated a broad vision for
confronting crime on every corner, not just where it is most visible or
most prominent.

Council members listened intently and took suggestions in an open-minded
manner. There was no grandstanding, nor were there sweeping critiques with
far-flung solutions. Rather, there was study and context for deciding a
future direction.

Ultimately, this newly elected City Council will be judged on its record in
reducing crime and making city streets safer. That record will rest on the
efficacy of the actions it chooses to take. But step one is a reasoned
discussion of facts and an open airing of fears. That is what Greenville
has needed for some time, and finally, it has happened.

That should nurture a level of confidence in the decisions that lie ahead.