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The Daily Tar Heel

Northside Patrolling Won't Expand

The rise in crime came within the first six months of the fiscal year. The increase is especially problematic because the police department cannot rely on an increase in its operational budget, as discussed at a town work session last week.

But Maj. Tony Oakley, operations commander, said that while the neighborhood initiative will probably not grow, it will not be reduced. "Initially, I had planned to put more officers there," Oakley said. "It won't be reduced, not if I can help that. If we could get some new hires, then possibly we would be able to expand it." Oakley added that additional patrols in Northside did not and will not affect overall town patrolling.

The Neighborhood Initiative focuses on concentrating police coverage, working with the affordable housing organization EmPOWERment Inc. and promoting the revitalization of the overall area. The initiative was put in place in November after Northside residents petitioned the Chapel Hill Town Council to respond to street-level drug dealing.

Police Chief Gregg Jarvies said the complaints led to more police coverage during time periods the residents had complained about.

"(Our response) was the development of a task force of seven to eight officers," Jarvies said. "Since then, that force has made over 200 arrests, mostly for drug abuses."

But Northside resident Frances Hargraves, a former local teacher, said she is still not happy with the police help her neighborhood has received. "The drug trafficking is a big problem," Hargraves said. "We've been asking (the police) to do a lot more. ... The streets are not safe for pedestrians and children."

Jarvies said problems in policing stem from the fact that many of the people police arrest have lengthy criminal records. "Most of them are repeat offenders," he said. "We will continue to work on the Northside aggressively."

Hargraves said outreach programs and educational motivation are exactly what areas like Northside need. "These kids need to be off the street and into the schools," Hargraves said. "These kids will then see the need to get a decent job rather than being a street pusher."

In addition to assigning more officers to the area, the police department has made efforts to tear down dilapidated houses, remove unregistered vehicles and encourage homeowners to make their houses more presentable.

Oakley said that while the police force will still be a presence in the area, the initiative will now move away from policing to focus more on community development. "It's good to get started with it, but now we need this other stuff to keep the problem fixed."

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.

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