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Ministers Team With Police
POLICE PRACTICES:
MINISTERS TEAM WITH POLICE TO KEEP THE PEACE
By
D. R. Staton
Minister
President
Police and Ministers Associaton
Virginia Beach, Virginia
and
Larry Edwards
Minister
Coordinator
Daytona Beach Police-Ministers Association
In 1989, an annual Labor Day weekend gathering of college
students in the resort city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, erupted
into violent rioting. Thousands of students who had gathered to
celebrate "Greekfest," so-called because of its origins as a
fraternity gathering, took to the streets, looting shorefront
shops and creating social unrest. The event captured media
attention. Nationwide, Americans witnessed the rioting and law
enforcement response that mirrored police actions of the 1960s.
Once the student uprising was quelled, the city council and
police department looked for ways to avert similar situations.
Virginia Beach had built a reputation as a family vacation spot.
But the events of the 1989 Labor Day weekend, combined with
rising youth gang activity, threatened to mar the peaceful
atmosphere of the resort.
In searching for new approaches to deal with the large
number of students (and other young visitors) who stream into
the city for the Labor Day weekend, Virginia Beach Police
officials focused on a similar event that occurred annually in
Daytona Beach, Florida. Each year, college students and other
young adults converge on the resort area during Spring Break.
While slightly higher arrest rates and the expected parking
infractions occur during this time, there are no largescale
disturbances as the one that took place in Virginia Beach.
THE DAYTONA BEACH EXPERIENCE
When Virginia Beach police officials visited the Daytona
area, they found that an integral part of the police
department's strategy to quell potential unrest is an expanded
police chaplain program. Since its establishment in 1986, the
Daytona Beach Police-Ministers Association has served as both a
buffer and liaison between the police and the community. The
association is made up of area chaplains, both black and white,
representing many faiths. The ministers ride with officers
throughout the year, but increase their presence during special
events, such as Spring Break and college homecomings.
The ministers are trained and sensitized to the rigors of
law enforcement. The majority of their instruction comes from
the programs coordinator, who is a former police officer.
In addition, the ministers are trained to spot crowd
"leaders." As they mingle with groups of young people in the
resort area, they explain what the police are doing and why.
Though this is not an easy task, their success rate has been
very high. As a result, the ministers are credited with
quelling many would-be, and potentially explosive, disturbances.
They, in particular, create a calming effect upon young,
would-be troublemakers who, at the slightest provocation, could
confront the police.
The coordinator of the Daytona association persuaded the
Virginia Beach Police Department, and then a somewhat reluctant
community, to consider the same approach in that city. The
result was the creation of the Virginia Beach Police and
Ministers Association.
MINISTERS TEAM UP WITH POLICE
At the direction of the police chief, 40 members of the
clergy from Virginia Beach area churches of all denominations
were asked to become certified police chaplains. Over 30
volunteer chaplains, including military chaplains from the
nearby naval base in Norfolk, attended a weeklong workshop and
orientation in June 1990. The coordinator of the Daytona Beach
program made several visits to Virginia Beach to help set up the
program and to supervise the training. The instruction
included:
* Crowd control techniques,
* General communication skills,
* Basic self-defense,
* Police radio operation,
* Patrol car conduct/activity,
* Police patrol regulations and procedures,
* General counseling (of both officers and citizens),
* Instruction concerning when to assist officers,
* Coping with failure,
* Human relations skills, and
* Relating to military personnel.
In addition, the ministers were shown films, complete with
critical assessments, of the 1989 riot in Virginia Beach and
Daytonas 1990 Spring Break.
On the last day of training, the volunteer chaplains were
assigned to accompany officers on foot patrol. One chaplain was
assigned to each of the 16 two-officer foot patrol teams
covering the resorts main strip roadway. In addition, a
chaplain accompanied each of the 12 two-officer units patrolling
the boardwalk area (approximately 50 blocks.)
RESULTS
During the first weeks of the program, chaplains proved
very effective in calming potentially explosive situations.
Often, they succeeded in averting confrontations before police
involvement was required. Gradually, reluctant officers began
to request the assistance of the chaplains in various
situations.
The volunteer chaplains worked every Friday and Saturday
night from June 29th to the Labor Day weekend (also including
the July 4th holiday). When the summer tourist season came to
an end, the volunteer chaplains had completed 1,626 hours of
walking beats with police officers.
LABORFEST 1990
The "big test" for the chaplain program, however, was the
Labor Day weekend and the task of helping to "keep the lid" on
the potentially explosive annual gathering of students and young
adults, now called Laborfest. The holiday weekend was the
program's most active, with 35 chaplains contributing 740 hours
of service. The result of the chaplains' efforts and the other
measures adopted by the city proved very successful. During
Labor Day weekend 1989, there were approximately 1,500 arrests
and significant property damage to the city. During the same
weekend in 1990, there were 100 arrests and only minimal
property damage.
There were several reasons for this success. A
comprehensive strategy had been developed to alleviate some of
the factors that contributed to the unrest of the previous year.
Checkpoints were erected at the entrances to the resort strip to
restrict traffic flow, and only residents and visitors with
confirmed accommodations were allowed to proceed past the
checkpoints. Other motorists were required to park their
vehicles at satellite sites where a shuttle service was
operating to take them to and from the waterfront. In addition,
concerts, dances, and other events were organized by the city,
as part of Laborfest.
The chaplain program, too, was an integral part of the
police department's strategy to reduce the possibility of
unrest. Officers maintained a low profile and allowed the
chaplains to approach problem situations in pairs or groups.
When crowds began to get overzealous or rowdy, chaplains
provided a calming influence that kept the atmosphere peaceful.
After the Labor Day weekend, 23 chaplains chose to remain
active in the program. They were provided additional training
and are now assigned to accompany patrol units in all areas of
the city. The remaining chaplains are available for special
events and for resumption of the summer program.
CONCLUSION
When violence and criminal activity threatened the peaceful
atmosphere in Virginia Beach, police officials decided to
approach the problem with innovative strategies. Basing an
expanded police chaplain program on the successful Daytona Beach
experience, they were able to provide an effective response to
the problem at a minimal cost to the city.
Volunteer chaplains have proved to be a very valuable
police resource. They provide a calming influence and help to
reduce anxiety during potentially violent situations. In the
process, they have helped to foster a sense of good will between
the police, the community, and visitors to the resort area.
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