Mullen, Zumalt-hosted talks seek solution to crime problem

Date: 12/3/2007

By Noah Haglund

The Post and Courier

Monday, December 3, 2007

Alienated youth. Retaliation killings. Repeat criminals who never seem to spend much time in jail.

As the symptoms show, police haven't been able to arrest their way out of the Charleston area's violent crime problem.

The police chiefs of Charleston and North Charleston hosted a meeting of law enforcement, professors and community stakeholders looking for new solutions.

Having spent years locking people up, or watching it happen, the 50 or so people gathered last week at a conference room in the North Charleston Coliseum had ready answers about the problem's scope: It involves a disproportionate number of young black males, both victims and suspects, in a few specific neighborhoods.

But the most important question — and the most difficult to answer — was what do about it. The goal of the meeting was to emerge with a short list of solutions.

"You can't expect the world to change overnight," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington. Wexler moderated portions of the six-hour session.

Wexler, who has worked in cities across the nation, said local police could build on basic suggestions. The ones that emerged included a special court for repeat criminal offenders and extended school days in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen and North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt brainstormed a plan to thoroughly research the area's violent crime problem about seven months ago.

They enlisted three University of South Carolina criminology professors and the Police Executive Research Forum to analyze three years of local crime data and interview a wide swath of the community.

The meeting generated solutions that ranged from the practical to the philosophical.

Because about a third of all local homicide suspects are on probation or parole, according to statistics presented, Zumalt asked to have the state agents who monitor those offenders work with his department more closely. He also promised a protocol for dealing with retaliation killings.

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said she would take the lead revoking bail for criminal suspects who re-offend.

"Where's the outrage?" she wondered. "We've gotta shine a light on it and we've gotta stand shoulder to shoulder."

Chief Public Defender Ashley Pennington called it a meeting "of historic importance" but said it would need to continue on a regular basis to make any difference.

The crime problems, as Pennington sees it, are rooted in our culture and economy, so a quick fix is impossible. He cited his conversations with drug dealers who prefer a life on the streets to conformity and a steady job. From the drug dealer's perspective, it's a rational choice, he said.

"All they cared about was girls, money and power," Pennington said. If leaders could make the economy more appealing, some might not chose the drug-dealing path, he said, while a small percentage who take it might eventually change course.

Charleston County Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley tentatively endorsed the idea of extending after-school activities in high-crime areas.

One participant thought the meeting was useful, but lacked an adequate cross-section of people. Lee Moultrie, an activist and consultant involved in a wide range of volunteer efforts, wanted to see more business leaders.

"You had too many police officers," he said of the crowd, about half of which was high-ranking law enforcement officials. "The police officers can't speak against the chief so you can't get a true expression of what's going on."

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.

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