Pubdate: Tues, 06 Jul 1999 Source: State Journal-Register (IL) Copyright: 1999 The State Journal-Register Contact: http://www.sj-r.com/ Author: Sara Antonacci, Staff Writer SPECIFIC DETAIL - SPECIAL UNIT'S TOP TASK - IMPROVE PROBLEM AREAS As six Springfield police officers pulled up last week to a large, white house in the 800 block of South 13th Street, the group of young men outside turned sullen. The two-story house, with its glassed-in porch, looks like it was once a showplace of the neighborhood. Today, screens are falling off the windows. The siding and gutters are scarred with apparent bullet holes. And garbage, which bystanders could smell even on a mild summer evening, was strewn across the sidewalk and out into the street. The house, reportedly home to members of the New Breed Gangster Disciples, has become a centerpiece of the drug trade on Springfield's central east side, the officers said. The six men are police officers, but it may be easier to think of them as firefighters, spending their summer using innovative police work to douse hotspots of crime. Sgt. Randy Wilson and officers Don Edwards, Brian Graves, Barry Ritter, Todd Taylor and Steven Termine are part of the department's Summer Detail -- officers who were pulled off of normal street duty to concentrate on making problem neighborhoods safer. Grant money will be used to pay officers to fill in for those assigned to the Summer Detail. (The same funds also will be used to pay for patrols for Air Rendezvous and to battle underage drinking and curfew violations.) "We targeted the hot spots for this," said Cmdr. Mitzi Vasconcelles, who is overseeing the project. This is the fourth year for the program. "We are looking into calls we've had for service to areas of the city. We looked at particular calls such as shots fired, reports of gang activity, narcotics allegations, ..." Trouble Spots As a result, the officers are concentrating on three areas -- the Enos Park neighborhood; Beat 300, the area between Carpenter Street and South Grand Avenue east of Ninth Street; and parts of Beat 400 just south of South Grand and east of 11th Street. But they will go wherever the trouble leads them, Vasconcelles said. On Tuesday night, the trouble was on South 13th. The Summer Detail officers cruised up to the residence, got out of their cars and began talking to the men standing on the sidewalk on the side of the house. The officers' goal is to get enough information from a visit to fill out a "field interview" card, which the department can keep on file in case of future contact with the individuals. Each card includes a person's name, aliases, acquaintances, activities, tattoos,the types of vehicles he drives, addresses, etc. The officers also try to convince the men to pose for a picture for them. Some comply, some don't. But at least one man outside the South 13th Street home didn't want to participate in the officer's game. The man, a 23-year old who has served time for a drug offence, lives at the house with his family. "I'm tired of you chasin' through here," he told the officers as they began asking the men what they were doing at the house. "It's all bull--. They come over here acting buddy, buddy and --. Ain't no one selling drugs here. I don't trust a one of you." While he is on his tirade, a boy who looks to be about 12 years old sits on his bike and watches. One of the men outside the house tells him to ride along. He shakes his head in disappointment and rides away. "I think I just made an enemy," Sgt. Wilson says as the officers pull away. "Another enemy," jokes officer Ritter, who is driving the car they are in. Neighborhood cleanup Making friends is not the point of their mission this summer, Wilson points out. Keeping the neighborhood safe is the goal. "To get to know the criminal is what we do," Wilson said. "I may be sitting there seeming like I'm having a regular conversation, but at the same time, I can memorize a mole on their face, a shaving cut, facial hair, a tattoo and who they are related to." The five officers who made up last year's Summer Detail came up with some innovative ways to do that. Those ideas included bringing lawn chairs and sitting with suspected gang members and drug dealers on street corners known to be drug marketplaces. They also posted a sign in Enos Park that read: "Drug interdiction zone two blocks ahead." Officers were waiting on side streets for those who saw the sign and decided to drive around the zone. Lt. Greg Smith is supervising the officers, along with Vasconcelles. He said the officers on this year's Summer Detail will try some of the same techniques, and add some new ones. "We will saturate areas with uniformed officers and perform undercover sting operations. We will continue to do some of the things they did last year," Smith Said. "The key to success is having this small group of officers dedicated entirely to one area or one problem." When officers do the kind of police work, he said, the crime tends to shift. Criminals either work different hours or in different areas. The good thing, he said, is that the Summer Detail officers are free to follow the criminals, wherever they go and whenever they work. "If they quit selling drugs at 3 p.m. and start selling them at 3 a.m., we'll follow. At least we can give neighbors some relief. When we disturb their drug business, their customers, it has an impact on the rest of the crime in that area. If you keep the supply of drugs down, other crime follows. Most crimes are somehow drug-related." Vasconcelles said the idea is to take the initiative away from criminals, "rather than just to react to calls and to respond quickly to problems." Also on Tuesday, the Summer Detail officers stopped by a house also known for high drug activity in the 1500 block of East Lawrence Avenue. When they pulled up, a 17-year-old man ducked behind the house, took off running and jumped into a passing car. By coincidence, the owner of the rental house pulled up about the same time as police. When the officers drive two blocks away to the 17-year-old who ran from them, the landlord followed. He asked the police what was going on at the house. His female tenant wasn't paying her rent, the landlord said, and he didn't want any problems there. In fact, he gave the officers phone numbers where he could be reached virtually 24 hours a day. "He was really upset at the activity that was going on there," said Wilson. "He said he was letting her live there as a favor. He is on his way over there now to ask her to move out. I take this as a good sign." Vasconcelles and Smith said anyone who is experiencing problems in their neighborhoods should call police. If it's an emergency, call 911, they advise. If it's a long-term problem they'd like to see solved, they can call the shift lieutenants' offices at 788-8333. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea