A Times Editorial

Anxieties rise even as crime rate falls



The numbers are not adding up for the St. Petersburg Police Department. Crime totals citywide generally are down, but residents in some neighborhoods feel less safe. Drug seizures are up, but drug arrests are down. The department has more officers than in recent years, but many of them feel overworked and believe the department is understaffed. The gap between hard numbers and public perception is not healthy for the city, and finally police Chief Chuck Harmon is taking more aggressive action.

The City Council sharply questioned Harmon recently about the disconnect. While there was some attempt to score political points at the chief's expense, the frustration reflected the general sentiment in some parts of the city. Crime may be down 10 percent so far this year compared with a year ago, but that is little comfort for those who feel their neighborhood is not as safe. The numbers may show the department is well-staffed, but that does not help morale if officers believe they are overworked. And despite Harmon's protests that the ratio of officers to residents is a simplistic measure, traditionally having one of the lowest ratios among major Florida cities has to have an impact even if St. Petersburg is not Miami or Jacksonville.

Getting to the root cause of the disconnect between crime statistics and public perception will be difficult. Some of it has to do with high-profile incidents such as the BayWalk melee on Christmas night and a number of shootings this spring. Some of it can be traced to individual experiences; a resident whose car is stolen or who hears about homes burglarized in his neighborhood feels uneasy even if these are isolated incidents. Random gunshots fired well before midnight recently on 34th Street S, a major St. Petersburg thoroughfare, catch the attention of everyone who travels that busy street.

For some neighborhoods, the fear of crime is not tied to isolated events. Childs Park remains a hot spot for the drug trade, despite Mayor Rick Baker's considerable efforts to revitalize the neighborhood. A group of churches, Faith and Action for Strength Together, has given police a list of more than three dozen hot spots of violence and drugs. To his credit, Harmon agreed to investigate and report back to the group.

Now the Police Department is appropriately increasing its visibility in particular neighborhoods and focusing more on gun crimes. Some of the changes, such as planning to make more arrests on gun crimes even if victims are reluctant to cooperate, are overdue. Guns are at the forefront of much of the public concern about crime. Governing magazine reports that Cleveland, Philadelphia and other cities are more aggressively searching for illegal guns and increasing the number of gun-related arrests. If it takes St. Petersburg asking the sheriff for help fighting guns and drugs, do it.

Whether the city should hire more police officers is not the relevant issue at the moment. Like other local governments, St. Petersburg is cutting spending because of Amendment 1 and other economic pressures. This is about setting priorities at City Hall and in the Police Department. It is about community leaders — particularly in predominantly black neighborhoods where a disproportionate amount of violence occurs — stepping forward to work on solutions.

It is better to see crime numbers dropping instead of rising, of course. But they provide little comfort to residents who do not feel safe, and St. Petersburg has work to do to bridge that divide.
-------------------------

Get the facts, and get guns off the streets

It should not be considered routine in any community for a 17-year-old high school student to be shot and killed by a police officer outside a graduation party.

Javon Dawson's death Saturday night in St. Petersburg is a tragedy for his family. It is not good news for St. Petersburg police, who once again find themselves under scrutiny and on uncertain footing in predominantly black neighborhoods. And it reaffirms there is a serious problem, particularly in Midtown, with guns on the street.

There should be no rush to judgment about the circumstances surrounding Dawson's death, which occurred after police arrived to break up a large crowd of partygoers. Police say Dawson ignored several commands and aimed his gun at the police officer as he began running away. Officer Terrence Nemeth shot Dawson twice, and a revolver was found near Dawson's body after the shooting. The investigation needs time to proceed, and it will produce more evidence that should shed more light on what happened in a chaotic situation.

Elected leaders, from state Rep. Darryl Rouson to St. Petersburg City Council member Wengay Newton, have responded with appropriate calls for calm, pledges to wait for more facts to come out and pleas for witnesses to come forward. It would be particularly helpful for teens and residents who were in the area at the time of the shooting to tell investigators what they saw and heard, although that almost guarantees conflicting stories.

What is not helpful is for members of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement to spread wild accusations they will not back up about the circumstances surrounding the shooting of a black teen by a white officer. They appear more determined to inflame emotions rather than ease tensions, and they breed mistrust of law enforcement in an area of the city where many law-abiding residents quietly wish for a greater police presence. If Uhuru members have identified witnesses who can add to the understanding of Saturday night's shooting, they should direct them to the police.

Dawson's death brings more urgency to the broader issue of getting guns off the streets. Illegally carrying handguns and casually firing them has become all too common in many cities, including St. Petersburg. If the police account is correct, why would a 17-year-old have a gun at a graduation party and fire several rounds into the air? And Dawson would not have been the only one. A witness saw two other men firing guns.

Residents in most neighborhoods in St. Petersburg and throughout Tampa Bay would not tolerate such an open display of weapons or routine gunfire. Midtown residents should not have to accept it, either. But tackling the issue requires a renewed effort by police, who just announced a series of initiatives, and the voices of residents who have the courage to speak up and demand better for their families and their neighborhoods.

Patience will be required while the shooting investigation plays out. Ultimately, residents will have to choose how to remember Javon Dawson's death. Those who are destructive will focus on race and recklessly hurl unfounded allegations against the police, regardless of the investigation's findings. Those who are interested in creating safer neighborhoods will find ways to work with law enforcement and public officials to get guns off the streets and out of high school graduation parties.


[Last modified: Jun 11, 2008 05:01 PM]