Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 28, 1989, edition 1 / Page 2
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: 2The Daily Tar HeelAugust 28, 1989 i City IA it on the town- with the Chape DOllDCe nig Ho f-By JIM GREENHILL 'Istaff Writer ' Chapel Hill police officers spend ; jnost of their time sitting in patrol cars Outside the fire station on Airport Road prinking coffee and eating doughnuts, bright? t Wrong. The night of July 31 should have leen about as calm as it gets. The stu dent population is greatly reduced in he summer, and most of those in town t'were studying for final examinations. nd it was a Monday evening. But ', jthere was little time for coffee for the Officers I rode with, and I didn't see a single doughnut. 6:40 p.m. Seven public safety offi cers are briefed by Lieutenant Joe Jackson. Jackson runs through prob lems faced by the previous shift, a sui cide and several thefts, and tasks for 'the new shift chiefly "close pa trols" of areas where there have been problems and a trailer packed with expensive equipment that a construc tion company has left in a parking Municipal lot. The officers are reminded of court ;lates and paperwork is handed out. There is input from officers, including discussion of the recent actions of 'known troublemakers down to the 'information that one person had come ;!nto a store clutching a large wad of jbills and "just had a pocketful of money." 7 p.m. Master Officer Felix Tal Jbert, a member of Chapel Hill's SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) 'discreetly packs his shotgun into the I trunk of his patrol car. In some cities such weapons are carried mounted on ;the dashboard, but Chapel Hill likes its "village. atmosphere," Talbert says. The town's "restrictive pursuit pol- icy" seems related to the village idea, iVacaot Franklin Street space to be filled soon ;By AL RIPLEY IStaff Writer I A lack of parking and a new tax on downtown merchants has not deterred weight businesses from opening or ex panding in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro -downtown area this summer. Vacant business space, including ! the former Logos Bookstore and ,;Foister's Camera Store on Franklin i Street, will soon be filled. Copytron will move into the for Chapel Hill cost of living above average ; By AL RIPLEY Staff Writer ' The cost of living in Chapel Hill in ; ' 1989 is above the national average, ' - according to a cost of living index re : ' leased by the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association :'ACCRA). The quarterly index list Chapel Hill ;; as eight percent above the national ;; average. 'The index tells us where we are in mi i Full size cottonfoam Futon Mattress $09-00 Classic Modern Furnishing The CourtyardW. Franklin and Roberson St. Chapel Hill, NC 942-8811 10-9 Monday-Saturday too. Police in Chapel Hill will not nec essarily try to stop a speeding car, but would sometimes just follow it into another jurisdiction. The concern is safety, Talbert says, citing a liability case against Greensboro police offi cers whose pursuit of a drunk driver ended in a wreck and two deaths. "You wouldn't want to do a felony car stop in the middle of town where you've got a lot of innocent pedestri ans," Talbert says. In view of the nation's liability problems, Talbert calls restrictive pursuit policies "the com ing thing." After testing out the car's lights and siren, we're on the road. The town is divided into four areas, and the object is to keep a car in each area all the time, Talbert says. There are seven police officers and a supervisor on patrol on any given shift, with the sur plus cars acting as back-up wherever needed. We drive around Talbert's assigned area, checking out property and look ing at loiterers. "That's an interesting crew the potential is there for who-knows-what," Talbert says, as we pass a group standing in the lot of a hous ing project. 7:30 p.m. There's a report of a gun fight near Durham-Chapel Hill Boule vard. Talbert would like to go, but it's outside his assigned area and there's no reason for it, unless it gets out of hand. Chapel Hill police aren't look ing for drama. "All blue lights and siren is is television or big city stuff. It's 1 1 o'clock. Right now people are asleep," Master Public Safety Officer Jerrie Cole tells me later in the eve ning. In the next two hours we help a woman with a stalled car on Columbia Street, patrol and run a check on a car whose driver acted strangely at a con mer bookstore at the corner of Fran klin and Columbia Streets, from its present Columbia Street location, ac cording to Copytron president Terry Boren. "I've wanted that location for years," Boren said. The old Foister's Camera Store location will be occupied by by Chapel Hill Sports Wear, an athletic apparel store, according to Debbie Dibbert, co director of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro downtown commission. relation to the rest of the country in terms of services and quality of life," said Sherri Powell, ACCRA researcher and communicatios manager for the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce. The cost of housing is the main factor raising Chapel Hill's index above that of other Triangle cities. Housing costs in Chapel Hill are 30 percent above average, compared to 13.6 per cent in Durham and 7.8 percent in Raleigh. (iriD u lj Jxs venience store but don't stop him. "You just can't stop somebody because you don't like his looks," Talbert says. "You've got to have reasonable cause or probable suspicion." While I'm with him, Talbert doesn't write any tickets for moving violations. He sees his job as being "helpful, under standing, public service-oriented, more so than strict law enforcement." He calls "being around people" the best part of the job. "As a rule you're going to get the respect you deserve," Talbert says. "You can be nice to people even when you're arresting them." He also said he likes the excitement that can some times come with the job, "that rush of adrenalin." Talbert is troubled by "human mis ery ... people hurt at car wrecks, people having a (heart attack). That's sad, the suffering part of it." 9:30 p.m. I've transferred to Offi cer Cole's car and we're on our way to a domestic disturbance. Like Talbert, Cole is wearing a "ballistic vest" made of kevlar. "If you can stand them, they give you a little bit of confidence going to a call," she says. "If you don't get scared in this job, you should get out." 9:45 p.m. The domestic dispute a woman fighting with her boyfriend at least temporarily resolved, we stop at the Zip Mart on East Franklin Street to take a report of two people acting strangely near the cash register. The clerks are worried because gas prices are about to go up and the rush to buy at the old price has resulted in a big "take" for the day. Cole agrees to a "close surveillance" for the rest of the night and says she'll warn other officers about a potential threat to gas stations. Two more domestic disturbances and a call from a businessman, wor- "We're really excited about all this new activity and incoming business," Dibbert said. According to Dibbert, the leasing of Logos' old space was delayed by sublease and bankruptcy complications, and Foister's by sub lease problems. Kinko's Copies will also expand its operations into space previously occupied by the Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Store and The Cookie Jar. Copytron's expansion will increase Durham and Raleigh have a cost of living that is two percent above aver age. The Outer Banks is considered the most expensive area in North Caro lina, with a cost of living 11.1 percent above average. The index total is based on local costs of grocery items, housing, utili ties, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods. Data from 268 urban area in the U.S. was collected. Washington, D.C., ranked as the FREE RENT or FREE WASHER and DRYER The choice is yours! When you move into Woodbridge Apartments Sept 15, 1989, you'll receive one month's free the use of a washer and dryer throughout your You'll enjoy all of our luxuries, including: Jacuzzi and exercise facilities Lighted tennis courts Distinctive, luxurious floor plans Two gorgeous clubhouses, complete with two pools Vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, miniblinds, bay windows Q(7 flQKK Location! Two miles from UNC and Memorial JU"UJJJ Hospital, 1 7 miles from RTP and Duke Certain restrictions apply during 12-month lease term. UfffllJDGB kstfoli.fi mm g" sWnTitmnnur , ,,,,, ,lm -8TOWWv t L , , zsZ h 0 ' "l I I flf If I I .P.)! mmsmmmmmm mmmmmmJ t fqiar"! ff . V 1 Officer David Quigley steps into ried that there may be an intruder in his office, mark the next two hours. As we entered Ridgefield for one domestic call, Cole tells me "The worst thing you can do is pull into public housing with your lights on." It tends to make things worse, she says. Cole doesn't think students create too many problems. "I guess the most contact I've had with students is run ning breathalyzers," she says. If she its space from 1,434 square feet to 2,500 square feet, Boren said. Kinkos' space will expand from 1,800 square feet to 3,800 square feet, according to manager Render Dahiya. Both Boren and Dahiya expect to have their new space operational by late August. Monograms and More, a retail cloth ing and monogram store, and Compli ments, an architecturual antiques store, will open at 4 1 8 W. Franklin Street. Homeward Bound, an antique and most expensive place to live in the United States. The cost of living there is nearly 30 percent above average. Chapel Hill's cost of living ranked above that of metropolitan regions including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver and New Orleans. Powell said the index does not take into account local taxes, and it is not an accurate measure of cost of living fluctuations over time. before rent or lease. 10 ricgqg Apartments charter! rROPCRTIES 601 Jones Ferry Rd., Carrboro, NC Rental Office open seven days a week Dcwlofwd nd nonaged by Charier Properties, Inc 'C III a Jin Hp , ' W " (it ' ;SK . rs? ,L linmniTflaWi - - mi 1 1 in i nr - ir i Ti rrninni iifn miiiniim- - in mi f r- "r iirrfiTiiYi1 DTHSarah Cagle his police car at 7 p.m., in preparation for the 12-hour night shift. has any advice, it's about drinking and driving, because she has seen the po tential consequences. "Don't be stu pid," she says. "Get a ride, get a taxi, just don't drive what's so hard about that?" One if the worst aspects of the job for Cole is car wrecks. "You get a certain detachment from what you're seeing," she says. "You get so caught up in helping out in any way that it gift shop, will open in the renovated gas station beside Fowlers Grocery Store. The Point, located on 312 W. Main Street in Carrboro, will provide space for Maggie's Muffins and The Craft Gallery. "We're looking forward to doing business on Franklin Street," said Kathy Sapp, co-owner of Chapel Hill Sports Wear, which will also open in August. Sapp said she is concerned that a lack of parking downtown will deter potential costumers from shopping and encourage them to shop at local malls instead. Other business owners expressed concern over the rise in property taxes, but according to Dibbert, property taxes and parking concerns do not deter businesses from opening in downtown Chapel Hill. The former Benetton's location does not have a lease, Dibbert said. It is not unusual for businesses to remain va cant between leases, she said. GOLDGOLDGOLD Chains, Bracelets, Earrings, Pendants, Rings, Cufflinks, Hoops, Key Chains, Charms, Pearls, Diamonds; Colored Stones, Bangles, Money Clips, Ear Cuffs & Much Much More Stop In and Visit Friendly Courteous Knowledgeable 1 06 Henderson St. 929-0330 GREAT MISTAKES doesn't hit until later ... But another nice thing about this job is the support, the fraternity." There are three full time social workers attached to the Chapel Hill Police Department and an employee assistance program. ! 11:50 p.m. I transfer to Officer Jack Waddell's car, and stay with him until just before the shift ends at 7 a.m. He responds to a report of vandalism. There's more filling out of reports arid patroling. We talk about the job. ! "I had never really heard of public safety until I (saw) that ad for it in the paper it works out really well," he says. Chapel Hill police officers are actually Public Safety Officers and their cars are labeled "Public Safety," not "Police." In Chapel Hill the police and fire departments cooperate and are both responsible to the same public safety director. The police work as firefight ers, and vice versa. It is Waddell's first day back on the beat after a month with the fire department. Each officer I talk with has differ ent primary concerns. Waddell's "is juveniles. The worst part of the job is "having to deal with a lot of parents that neglect their children," he says. "You see it happen and they're not really given a chance ... The majority that get in trouble, it's from their par ents not knowing where they are." '. Waddell has no doubt about the cause of the worst problems. "Alco hol. It's not even close. It's a shame," he says. "Drugs cause bad problems. But the majority ... is alcohol-related. It's worse. I see what it does on a daily basis." 12:45 a.m. We go to a call at a See POLICE, page 24 M GOLDSMITHS JEWELERS-GEMOLOGISTS catalog Men's 8c women's first quality, jj slightly irregular, and overrun top jj name catalog clothing. . . J; up to 75 OFF listed catalog price. ; Willowcreek Shopping Center,! Carrboro 929-7900 : ' Beaufort Chalotte Durham Emerald Isle . ; Oriental Raleigh Rocky Mount Virginia Beach Wrightsville Beach Opening Soon in Timberfyne Shopping Center, Chapel Hill J
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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