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31ir Sailu Star ifrrl * Newsy p 106 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Ford's Return Rests on Results of Medical Evaluation By Brian Murphy Sports Editor An official in the North Carolina ath letics department said Thursday that the return of men’s basketball assistant coach Phil Ford would be determined by the physicians evaluating his health. Ford took a medical leave on Tuesday after being arrested for drunk driving Monday night after being stopped by Durham police for failing to stop at a red light. His blood alcohol content was .24, three times the legal limit. £ Police Chief Poarch Reflects on Ist Year By Laura Stoehr Senior Writer The night before his first day of work as UNC’s director of Public Safety, Derek Poarch could barely sleep. One year later, he still suffers from a shortage of shuteye. But Poarch said the excitement of day one had not gone away. The chal lenges of running the Department of Public Safety have kept him on his toes and out of bed. When he arrived at UNC, Poarch took over a department rid dled with troubles. He is the eighth University Police chief since 1987. DPS had been cited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in spring 1998 as suffering from major organizational, stability and com munication problems. At that time, employees described DPS to association offi cials as wrought with “constant bickering” that deterred the public safety mission from being achieved. All in all, it was a long way from the award-winning police depart ment of Lenoir where Poarch had served as an officer for 19 years. But Poarch said he knew about the department’s problems and was not worried when he took the job. “The history of the department did not concern me,” he said. “I had researched it, knew what the issues were and felt that the depart ment had quality personnel that if encouraged in the right direction would work together to provide quality service to the University.” And one year later, DPS has taken new steps and direction under Poarch’s calculated steering. The department was restruc tured in March and adopted com munity-oriented policing in July. This semester, when a man attempted to assault two UNC women, officers peppered the cam pus with flyers depicting the sus pect. For the first time, DPS sent a N.C. Supreme Court Delays Inmate's Execution An attorney for death row inmate Joseph Timothy Keel says Keel is not mentally competent to be executed. By Matthew B. Dees State & National Editor Death row inmate Joseph Timothy Keel received a stay of execution this week from the N.C. Supreme Court to allow his attorneys to review prosecu- Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward. Soren Kierkegaard He will undergo a full medical eval uation. If or when Ford returns to the team will be decided by a physician after a full medical evaluation. “Right now we’re in an evaluation process,” said Steve Kirschner, UNC’s director of media relations for football and men’s basketball. “It may be that the medical people examining him say it is OK for him to return to his present sit uation, and they may say that it is not. “When he returns will be based on these medical exams. We have to wait and see what the evaluation says.” campuswide e-mail message about the attacks. Some officers hopped aboard P2P Xpress shuttles to warn students, while others patrolled on foot to spread the word. Poarch was involved in the awareness effort by making rounds on campus and escorting students to their residence halls. When Hurricane Floyd threat ened UNC two weeks ago, Poarch mobilized DPS to prepare for pos sible emergencies. Additional officers were put on duty to handle potential crises. The P2P Xpress extended its operating hours to help students safely return to their residence halls. Parking lot gate arms were removed. The preparation and reaction of the department highlighted a year of changing structures and attitudes. Provost Dick Richardson said his office had not received any com plaints about DPS in the past year, which was a change from the past. Associate Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary Services Carolyn Elfland, who oversees DPS, said she was not surprised by Poarch’s progress. “I think that Chief Poarch has done the right things,” she said. “He’s clearly a capable leader. I’m not really surprised by the amount of things he’s been able to accomplish.” Building a Foundation Poarch said communication would provide the foundation for reshaping the department and redefining its vision. “We had to start with communi cation,” he said. “(But) it’s an on going process.” But the base Poarch inherited was rocky at best. Beyond the bickering, employ ees told IACLEA “of occasions when officers had seriously ques tioned the leadership in the depart ment because basic management techniques were not being fol lowed.” “Even though these questions were raised, officers perceived that tors’ files. Keel was scheduled to die Oct. 29 for the shooting of his father-in-law in 1990. His co-counsel. Jay Ferguson of Durham, said Keel received the death penalty only because of aggravating fac tors stemming from Keel’s involuntary manslaughter conviction in 1986 for the death of his young son. Ferguson said his client had always maintained his innocence of the manslaughter charge. He said that accessing the district attorneys’ files would shed light on this Friday, October 1, 1999 Volume 107, Issue 86 SBeI v' : On Tuesday, UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour said Ford would return for the start of the bas ketball season. Kirschner said Thursday that he would speak for Baddour and the men’s basketball program . about the matter. Men’s basketball assistant coach Phil Ford 'msgm- M§3 t # fSI I w*' M** MmJSIII M 1 * ~ t* ~ ; HR | f f |p| ■^^ |,|<||lWl '.. _f DTH/FILE PHOTO Derek Poarch addresses UNC faculty, staff and students moments after University officials made the announcement Sept. 4,1998 that he would become the new director of Public Safety. nothing was done to correct the problem,” the report stated. Following departmental strife, Elson Floyd, former executive vice chancellor, requested the investiga tion by LACLEA, a consulting orga nization that provides police offi cers to examine college police departments. Former University Police Chief Don Gold resigned in March 1997 after taking a five-month leave of absence. Gold took his leave during an investigation of DPS’s conduct in issuing an underage drinking cita tion to Board of Trustee member Billy Armfield’s daughter at a foot ball game last fall and the dismissal of Lt. C.E. Swain. When the law enforcement asso ciation’s report was issued, some employees were not surprised by its findings, but they did not anticipate the changes to follow. See POARCH, Page 6 and other issues that put Keel on death row. He said he was not sure exactly what new information could be learned from the files, but prosecutors’ unwillingness to disclose them led Ferguson to believe they would help Keel’s case. “The state is so reluctant to give us the files that it leads us to believe that there is something favorable for Mr. Keel,” Ferguson said. The N.C. statute that allowed death row inmates access to prosecutors’ files did not help Harvey Lee Green, who Kirschner’s comments came one day after news surfaced that Ford had been arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor and unlawful blood alcohol content Sept 20, 1997, on U.S. 75 outside of Detroit. The charges were reduced to operat ing-while-influenced at a pre-trial sen tencing in November 1997, and Ford pleaded guilty to the reduced charges, said an official at the 52nd District Court in Rochester, Mich. Ford was ordered to pay $775 in fines and court fees and to attend Alcoholics The Year in Review About one year ago, Derek Poarch became UNC’s Public Safety Director. Here's a look at some j)f the events and changes that characterized his first year on the job. ■ Sept 14,1998 Poarch's first official day at UNC ■ Jan. 5,1999 Poarch rejects a parking resolution passed by Student Congress that would have required officers to start ticketing cars without permits at 11:30 p.m. Sunday instead of Monday morning. ■ March 26,1999 Police Department restructuring announced -Parking enforcement officers are operations to the parking division, -Police officers are divided into four "squadrons. ■ June-July 1999 Department provides security for the 1999 Special Olympic World games. ■ July 5,1999 Community Officers are assigned to patrol one of four campus regions. ■ August 15 and 17,1999 —Iwo female UNC students are victims of attempted sexual assault. The department helped in the arrest of a suspect on Aug. 24. ' • N, ■ Sept. 1999 —The department prepares for potential hazards from Hurricane Floyd. SOURCE: DTH ARCHIVES was put to death Sept. 24. A judge ruled that the law, which went into effect June 21,1996, could not be applied retroactively to Green’s appeal because it was held May 1 of that year. Ferguson said the Supreme Court’s stay was the first step toward affording Keel the same legal rights afforded to most criminals sentenced to death. Ferguson said Keel’s attorneys failed to file a timely motion to recover state files and a post-conviction review. Ferguson said he was not sure if and Anonymous classes. His license was sus pended in Michigan for three months. Former head men’s basketball coach Dean Smith and Baddour were aware of a violation, Kirschner said. “Coach Smith and Mr. Baddour were aware of an alcohol incident in 1997,” Kirschner said. “Coach Smith handled it internally. Baddour and coach Smith were not aware that it was a DUI con viction. They had been under the impression that it was a lesser charge.” Kirschner would not elaborate on why Smith and Baddour were not aware DTH/DANHELIAS when Keel would be granted a post-con viction review. Keel underwent a brain scan Thursday at Duke University Hospital to test his mental capacity. Ferguson said that would also be a crucial part of defending Keel, who has an IQ of 78, indicating borderline retar dation. “We’ve always contended that he should have been convicted of second degree murder to his mental impair ment.” The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1999 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. of the exact charges. In Ford’s absence, there has been no restructuring of the coaches on the bas ketball staff, where he was Guthridge’s top assistant and a valuable recruiter. But Kirschner said his absence would not hinder the Tar Heels’ efforts to secure top players in this, the prime recruiting period for high school seniors. “Bill Guthridge is the coach - he is the chief recruiter.” The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu. Court Set For Influx Of Cheats The Honor Court caseload increases every semester following midterms and again before final exams. By Derick Mattern Staff Writer Desperation to get an “A” as midterm exams approach can lead students to caffeine binges, all-nighters and large amounts of sugar. But when the desperation leads to cheating, UNC’s Student Judicial System steps in. Students appearing suspicious to teaching assistants or professors and those actually caught can face a charge in the UNC Honor Court The Honor Court’s case load increas es every semester after midterm exams and toward final exams, said Honor Court Chairwoman Ellen Chance. About 45 percent of the cases involve academic cheating. Chance is head of the Honor Court system. She chairs some hearings and assigns Honor Court members to chair others. Like all members, Chance does not see the content of the cases before arriv ing in court. Student Attorney General Drew Haywood and his staff investigate all See COURT, Page 6 Carolina, Speak Out! A weekly DTH online poll Do you support a freestanding BCC? S\. Goto ] www.unc.edu/dU> A to cast your vote. t- INSILL An Apple a Day Eight candidates for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro Board of Education told residents why they should be elected in a public forum Wednesday night at Chapel Hill Town Hall. See Page 6. In the News Applications for the Joanna Howell Fund, which honors the memory of a DTH editorial writer who died in the 1996 fraternity fire, are available at the DTH front desk in Suite 104 of the Student Union and due by Oct. 4. The fund provides $250 for a student to write a full page article about an issue affecting the University community. The article will be published in the DTH. Today’s Weather Sunny; Low 70s. Saturday: Sunny; High 70s.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 1, 1999, edition 1
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