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Ratliff Gives Parking TicketBy A. B. HOPKINS JR.PETERSBURG — Never send a boy to do a man’s job, says the proverb. But what do you do when the boy is man enough to handle the job but the rules say he has to be 21?iPetersburg nas had that problem for years. High school graduates are usually only IS or IS years old, and have at least a two year wait before they become old enough to go on'the po-lice force as patrolmen. But in that two-year waiting period, most of the prospective officers are, absorbed into other careers, which they are loath to leave once established,tt looks like the city .has now solved that problem with the introduction of a police cadet corps. There are four cadets now alt, naturally, planning on careers in law enforcement.The four are P. S: Jarratt, Thomas Ratliff, H. E. Williams, and A. G. Young.Ratliff has been there longest —about three months. Williams has been a cadet about half that long, and Jarratt and Young for . couple of weeks.The idea of the program is twofold—it gives the just graduated an immediate chance at police work and also releases some of the regular personnel for street duty,Training SgL D. S. Shields said ‘'Mostly we use the cadets to relieve an officer' of time-consuming duties like making out accident reports, filing,- ticketing, and guarding school crossings. It’s neessary that a man have experiene at all of those things because he learns how to handle people—how to' deal tactfully with somebody who’s ?viad at you in the first place because he’s getting a ticket, what to notice about an accident scene.”While the cadets hove no arrest powers, they can still do ail the Jobs except ths primary one of armed patrol. Anything that is done at headquarters, or almost anything, can be done by a cadet. Williams is presently working the desk, and Ratliff writes most of the parking tickets which are written in the downtown section. All the cadets work school crossings in the afternoons.As soon as Williams has learned everything on the inside, Shields said, we’ll put him out on the street working and pull another one inside to work here. We try to rotate them around so lhcy’ll meet all situations.”City personnel director EdwardFive Narcotics Charges F led Against PatientCOLONIAL HEIGHTS — An escaped mental patient from Williamsburg’s Eastern Statellnsnitnl was arrester! ThursdayA. Wyatt III said he Is satisfied’’ with the response received.■ We receive, about 30inquiries a week,” he said. Of Course, many of these are for future planning — seniors in high school checking on the possibilities for June. 1 imagine there will be several applications about that time.The main problem so far, Wyatt said, has been a lack of suitable candidates. Young, physically fit men are desired by the United States Army quite as much as they are by Petersburg’s finest—and at least one cadet has been drafted out of a blue uniform into a kakhi one.Wyatt said, We are satisfied with the progress of the program—the cadets' seem to be learning quickly and doing the jobs they’re hired to do. So far the' training has' been largely informal; we're making decisions about how the program shouldoperate by answering questions as they arise.!’ •The cadet uniform is slightly different from the’ regular police outfit, and Wyatt said be doesn’t foresee1 any further changes in the near future. The badge is different, and there is no stripe on the trouser leg. To issue a completely' different uniform would probably be impractical, he said, since the cadets are still subject to draft and uniforms are expensive. .Police Chief Willard E. Traylor recently noted that althoughthe cadets are not endowed' with arrest powers, observations made by cadets have been instrumental in causing arrests.And Cpt. H. T. Branch, who has been duty captain during most of the hours when the cadets were at work, said they’re doing their job,The comments of the one person who has been most involved in the cadet program—Cadet Ratliff—went thus:It’s good preparation for work as a patrolman or anything else —you learrt the business and social structure of the town, which will be valuable later in life. You come to' meet people and learn to understand them—not only people in general but specific people you may have to deal with if you continue to live in Petersburg,Frankly, Ratliff said, *T can't understand why more haven’t applied for the job. It pays $153.25 every two weeks, which is competitive with some industry. But here you’re also learning something.” ’Ratliff said, One of the first things you learn is that people are going to get mad when you give them tickets—but they cool down pretty quickly if you quietly explain to them why they’re getting the ticket, what they’ve done • wrong. In patroling—you do that on your own time—youlearn about a thousand places in the town you never knowexisted.”be learning firing range procedure, and that will enable us tomove along more quickly in all our training.”In short, Shields said, the program is still open-ended'. .How much is done with it will depend on hew many cadets there are, what kind of facilities ^re avail-able, and how many instructors.For some of the probable answers for the future,- one can take a look' north to Richmond. That city has had' a cadet program since 1950, and Petersburg’s program was organized similarly.There Training Sgt. V. F. Hall said the problems—-lack of candidates and drafted cadets—are much the same.The cadets are. well accepted by the public, Hall said. There are complaints, but most of these are groundless and minor, centering around the traffic ticket the cadet began writing and wouldn’t tear up after the driver came to his car.We try to explain io people that under no circumstances is a . cadet allowed to back up once he’s started writing , a ticket. You see, he’s already made a judgement that a violation has already been committed.A number of complaints have centered around the youthful lingo” some of the cadets bring with them after leaving high school—older persons often mistake what are to the cadets perfectly acceptable expressions for disrespectful phrases.A Richmond cadet, Hall said, gets from $3,588 to $4,160 per year—as a patrolman he starts at $5,200. All cadets at completion of the cadet program have to take the regular entrance tests for patrolmen—none have ever failed them.Over the years, Hall said, the program has given Richmond anumber of policemen. When they pass their 21st birthdays they have considerable practical experience and have already been to police school. They're ready for a beat the first day.4Plant May Close Soon If Strike Is Not SettledBRISTOL (AP). — The MonroeInternational, Inc. plant heremay close down if a 1? - daystrike is not settled soon.Donald McMahon ' of Orange, N.J., president of the company, arrived here Thursday and threatened the closing.He said the company’s last, final and complete offer has been made” and added: There is no point in having company representatives attend the March 8 negotiating session unless the union is ready to acceptthis offer.”McMahon, speaking at a news conference, accused the strikes?By JOHN POTTER HOPEWELL -Suggestions of a boycott and • the formation of a security committee by the Hope-well ' Improvement Association (HIA) have won endorsement of a group of some 75 Negroes in this community.The Rev. Curtis W. Harris, who has been the target of several attacks to his person in recent days, asked and . gained suport of HIA resolutions for the boycott and security proposal during a meeting Thursday night that saw local employers, the school board, the police and the Ku Klux Klan come under attack,Three teams,' under the auspices of the HIA. will be chosen to conduct neogtiations with an undisclosed list of local firms in an effort -to secure more jobsfor Hopewell Negroes.The group, gathered in the Union Baptist Church, gave approval of' a consideration for an Easter shopping season economic withdrawal if1 negotiations withlocal businesses break down. The adopted HIA memorandum stated: If the jobs do not materialize we will resort to economic withdrawal and, or, implement Title Seven of the Civil Rights Act” which provides a basis for a federal suit in cases of discrimination in certain categories of employment.The HIA resolution also calls for the organization of a citizens’ • intelligence security con miltee • to determine what haigroups will do before they acThis committee, according Miv Harris, .“would: notify 11 targets of hate groups.” He ad' ed, We’ll -work with the polilt; department in, our efforts help . .In a rousing speech, • gue speaker Dr. Milton A. Reid, r gional director of the- Soiithei Christian Leadership Conferee (SCLC) scored the Virginia I Klux Klan.He warned- them that acts violence against the Negro cor munity will only strengthen resolve to attain ultimate fredom.In the speech, scattered wi Biblical allusions, Dr, Reid.et phasized, the Klans might'well get it in their heads, they not stop us. The Kluxers are n just dealing with Negroes b God’s men and what they sh; sow, so shall they reap.Dr. Reid added that a sta: against the Klan.would not me a return of violence on the pE of Virginia Negroes.The SCLS in Hopewell, Danville and units all over t state have not been involved one incident of inciting violen . . . We cannot start now w violence, otherwise we’d be bad as the Klan.In an earlier address, Mr. H; ris reviewed the background
Newspaper Details
Petersburg Progress Index
Petersburg, Virginia, US
Fri, Mar 03, 1967
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Las V.
NV, USA 12 Sep 2019
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