Pastors join war on crime

Visible police, community leaders are focus of strategy

North Charleston police are using a new weapon to combat retaliatory killings — the preacher.

Faced with a growing number of homicides in recent years and the daunting realization that many of them are retaliation killings, police and clergy members have teamed up to stop the violence.

Now, when there's a homicide, it won't be just the investigation team and victims advocates that show up to talk to the victim's family. Police are bringing in the families' church leaders to talk with them about the consequences of revenge.

"We as clergy will come to be peacemakers," said the Rev. Augustus Robinson Jr., senior pastor of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church on Ashley Phosphate Road.

Police Chief Jon Zumalt said he's anxious to see what the effect will be. "We're seeing things differently now," Zumalt said. "This is just a whole different approach."

It's just one of the changes police and community leaders together are making to drive straight to the heart of violence in North Charleston.

A group of police supervisors, pastors, neighborhood civic club leaders, business people, community activists and more have joined forces to create change. There's about 20 of them in all, and they've been meeting monthly since March.

They already have seen progress. First, the meetings have improved communication between police and the community, something that's been a challenge. The Elder James Johnson, community activist, said he used to be one of the department's biggest critics.

"No more," Johnson said on Thursday during one of the group's meetings. Now, Johnson is working with police as a member of the group.

Police are doing more to reach out to residents. At the start of some shifts, they are holding roll call on street corners and inside churches, where residents can see them and meet them, shake their hands, get to know them.

They are targeting the areas known for violence with saturation patrols — one or two officers who do nothing but patrol a particular neighborhood five days a week. They get to know the community and its residents.

Police said saturation patrols and community relations are working. They are seeing fewer drug dealers on corners, and it's getting harder to find a crack cocaine dealer in the city.

The police and community group is also focusing on the city's youth. They are planning for youth teams coached by police officers and community leaders. The youngsters won't just play games but will get some instruction on how to avoid the pitfalls of crime. They will try to draw parents into the sports activities as well.

Johnson said he will invite officers to attend community events so that residents will see that police are engaged and are not going to tolerate violence. "It's about building trust between police and community," Johnson said.

Reach Nadine Parks at nparks@postandcourier.com or 937-5573.