Police, community join forces

Charleston police long have lamented the lack of cooperation they receive from the community when it comes to solving street killings. For years, people have clammed up in the wake of gun violence, fearful of retaliation or distrustful of police.

That changed last week after police, family members and grim-faced local leaders issued a plea for help in finding the people who killed 15-year-old Jermel Brown beneath an Interstate 26 overpass. Whether it was the age of the victim, his innocence or the community simply getting fed up with violence, the tips started rolling in the very next day.

Police Chief Greg Mullen credited that community assistance with helping lead investigators to two brothers now charged with killing Brown, who was found dead June 30. Rafael and Leon Horlbeck of North Charleston are being held at the county jail on murder charges.

"We didn't get a lot of calls, but the information we got was critical to the investigation," Mullen said. "In an investigation like this, it's not the quantity of the information you receive, but the quality. And this information was what we needed to help put things together."

Mullen said he was impressed with the number and breadth of community leaders who lent their collective voice to the appeal for help and to urge an end to the violence. "That's what we would like to see in all cases," he said.

City Councilman Jimmy Gallant, a minister and the city police chaplain, also was pleased with the community response, viewing it as a sign people are moving beyond an "us" and "them" approach to dealing with police. He said he senses people are very tired of the bloodshed and "treacherous" criminals who prey upon the innocent.

Arthur Lawrence, president of the city's Westside Neighborhood Association, was "overjoyed" to hear Mullen credit residents with aiding the investigation. "It just shows that if everyone works together, we can get things accomplished," he said.

It hasn't always been that way. Police often have been met with stony silence when they hit the streets to investigate killings. For example, several people were on hand the night a 21-year-old man was shot dead at Line and Hanover streets in December 2000, but it took two years before someone came forward with information that led to an arrest.

Police and community leaders have been working to break down those barriers through forums, mentoring programs, and informal chats.

Mullen, who became Charleston's police chief in 2006, takes time weekly to walk the streets and talk with residents about their concerns, hopes and desires. Lawrence said other officers also have made greater efforts to interact with residents, which makes people feel more comfortable confiding in police in times of trouble.

Police have been working with a 15-member group of residents, clergy and neighborhood leaders called Community Partnership to promote alternatives and solutions to violence. The group recently held a forum, attended by about 50 people, at Burke High School.

Mullen said he hopes to see residents sustain their interest in helping to curtail violence. "The only way we are going to be successful as a community is if we all work together."

Reach Glenn Smith at gsmith@postandcourier.com or 937-5556.