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Winston-Salem Chronicle
75 CENTS
"Power concedes nothing without a struggle. '' ? Frcdery
, No. 18
by MARK R MOSS
Chnmu !c Staf t W riter
Police* protection is costing the cits of
Winston-Salem u pretty penns in overtime
payments to its police officers. Nearls a half
million dollars, to be exact.
City officials sas that much of that
overtime money is used to pay officers to
patrol high-crime areas, while another siz
able amount is used to pas those who have
to make court appearances on their days off.
Lee Garrity. a budget analyst for the
city, said the department spent S490.000
during the fiscal year that ended this sum
mer. The department ^ budgeted S523.000
for overtime pay.
In the previous fiscal year. S "'36. 000
vs as budgeted and the department onls spent
S332.000. During the 1990 fiscal year, the
cits allocated S7 16.000 and the police
department spent S653.000. The police
department n overall budget is S28.6 million
for the current fiscaJ year.
Garrity attributed the sizable difference
in actual spent monies during fiscal years
1990 and 1991 to the fact that the depart
ment had 4K openings during 1990.
Employees had to work overtime to fill
those voids, he said.
Assistant Chief H.R.Tuttle said that of
the S5 19.500 allotted in overtime to the
department during the current fiscal year.
S275.000 goes to the patrol division and the
remainder is tor the rest of the department,
including administrative personnel.
Tuttie said that only 36 percent, or
$99,300. of the $275,000 has been spent so
tar this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
- We've stayed under budget so far." he
said.
The amount of money set aside for
overtime depends on a number of factors.
It depends on what kind of situations
developed throughout the year, said Sarah
Pun ear. manager of management informa
tion systems for the police department.
Lotv of things come into play " when devel
oping an overtime budget, such as what spe
cial events will require extra police cover
age. and the staffing levels within the
department, she said.
Police Capt. F.A. Holman. who over
sees special operations, said that the depart
ment s working schedule is set up to pre
clude any one officer from monopolizing
the amount of overtime available.
To keep it fair and impartial, you have
to spread it out." he said. Everyone is given
an opportunity to earn extra money, he said.
"It's monitored very heavily to ensure
that no one person dominates." he said.
Overtime for high-crime areas are typi
cally during the early evening hours, so an
officer would have to be off duty to sign up
for the extra hours. Many of the departmen
t's personnel, including the patrol division,
work shifts that change weekly. A person
working the second shift ? from 3 p.m. to
midnight ? tor example, would not work
overtime. The next week . however, he
might be able to because his shift would
change.
Holman said that an officer might aver
age an extra eight hours a month. An officer
is paid time-and-a-half for overtime. At $17
an hour ? a figure Holman used as an
example ? the officer would add $1,632 to
his yearly income. Tuttle said the depart
ment has attempted to cut down on "court
time" by letting the officer go to court dur
ing his shift.
"That's an overtime we have no control .
over." he said. 'The officer is at the mercy
of the court." he said.
African- American Children Standing at a Crossroads
A Growing number of
blacks in foster care
By DAVID L DILI. AH D
Chronicle Stuff Wnu*r ,
Teresa Burke-Brown spends most of her day cud
dling 4-month-old "Sam" who she treats like her son.
Sam (not his real name) is one of many children
placed in lister homes because ot negligence or abuse
from his parents.
Brown. 35. feels too many African Americans arc
talking about problems thai affect their communitv
instead of trying to solve the problems.
That's why she decided to become a foster parent.
Although she has two sons of her own. she has pro
vided respite care for four children over the past year.
"1 always wanted to help in a concrete way. and this
is something that 1 knew 1 could do." she said. "There is
so much that needs to be done. . . ."
Jackie Moore, a social worker and liaison with the
Forsyth County Foster Parents' Association, said 78 per
cent of the children in foster homes are black and usually
come from an abusive family environment.
The Forsyth County Department of Social Services
had custody of over 5(H) children when foster home ser
vices began in 1979. Since then, the nutnber of children
Grammy nominee and R&B recording artist Oleta Adams will per
form Friday night at 7 p.m. at First Night Piedmont at the Dixie
Ckusic Fair Grounds. She will perform her mega - hit (iGet Here/'
? - . "'?? " 's ' J -
?
Teresa Burke-Brown plays with her 4-month-old foster son while her biological sons , Hunter and Carson Glenn,
look on.
in custody has dropped to 25^. hut . still more than the 81
licensed foster homes can nandle.
Lincia Cole, program manager tor the Forsyth
County Foster Home Sen- ices, located at 710 Carl Rus
sell Avenue, said the children have been physically or
verbally abused or simply neglected by their parents and
the juvenile court system places the kids in foster care.
She said foster care strives to put children back with their
see FOSTER CARE A3
A New policy on
mixed adoptions
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla (AP) ? The state of
Florida is planning to change a policy that has inhib
ited mixed-race adoptions and let black children lan
guish in foster care, even when white families had
asked to adopt them.
"We've got kids who are growing old on the
adoption waiting list because they are African-Amer
ican." Jim Towey. head of Florida's Department of
Health and Rehabilitative Services, said. "We are
really focusing now on what's in the best interest of
the child."
Under a policy unveiled earlier this month,
race will only be one of several factors used to deter
mine who can adopt a child. The change will end the
special weight given to same-race matches under cur
rent policy.
The issue has long been controversial. Some
blacks say allowing widespread adoptions of black
children by whites will confuse children about their
cultural roots. Others note the large number of black
children awaiting adoption and a shortage of black
see POLICY A3
Competition Ignites Neighborhood Feud
By DAVID L. DILLARD
Chronicle Staff Writer
Two East Winston business owners,
both of whom operate convenience stores
across the street from each other, are taking
the old competitive spirit to a new level.
Curtis Carpenter, a local businessman,
claim black consumers are not being appre
on his marquee.
Carpenter. 32. an entrepreneur for 12
years, said he pressed charges against Sar
sour three weeks ago to stop him from sell
ing counterfeit cassette tapes of popular
recording artists. Carpenter also owns the
Music Box record store next to his new
business.
He said Sarsour was rude to customers
. . the black community . . . don't have to take that kind of
mark up and mistreatment local businessman says .
ciated in his neighborhood, and that's why
he decided to open a convenient store.
Andrea's One Stop, at 1 250 \. Liberty St..
opened Nov, 28 ? days before Carpenter
had filed charges against his main competi
tor. Mike Sarsour. who runs Minit Mart
directly across the street.
"1 opened the store to show people in
the black community that they don t have to
take that kind of mark up and mistreat
ment." said Carpenter, who is black. Our
sales have been great because (Sarsour) dis
respects black people and we offer better
service."
On the side of Carpenter s store is a
huge sign that says: "We Treat People
Right."
Last week. Sarsour. a Palestinian, coun
tered by scribing Peoples Choice Thanks"
in the past and at one point even threatened
some food manufacturers not to service his
store.
Sarsour refused to comment on the alle
gations.
"Tension is still there because we are
taking away quite a bit of his sales. Car
penter said. "He's been very nice to people
now. but I don't worry about it. He knows
he's got competition now because we offer
better service."
Carpenter urged African- American
consumers to spend more money with
black-owned businesses to empower their
own community.
"Economic power is the only way to
gain power and the more blacks spend with
each other, the bigger we get." Carpenter
said
i
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NOW OPEN ?. ,
WE TREAT
PEOPLE RIGHT
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This sign is on the side of Andrea's One Stop.
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