By Mannix Porterfield
The Register-Herald
CHARLESTON — Anti-racial profiling training was added Monday by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee to a House bill providing police more clout to deal with criminal street gang activity, now evident across most of West Virginia.
“I have no problem with that,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, Delegate Tiffany Lawrence, D-Jefferson.
“We’re making progress. We definitely have a compromise bill and that’s what we like to see. We like to see all parties involved. I’m excited.”
Inclusion of the racial profiling clause — a topic of interims studies the past year — makes the measure “more palatable,” said Paul Crabtree, an official of the American Civil Liberties Union in West Virginia.
Lawrence ignited the legislation early on, after being advised by police they lacked authority to deal with street gangs.
Her bill makes it a criminal offense to recruit school students for group activity, and, after three violations, turns this into a felony offense.
Lawrence said the amendment, approved by the sub-committee, chaired by Sen. Bill Laird, D-Fayette, requires law enforcement officers to take an on-line course in avoiding racial profiling.
Her legislation has spawned interest throughout the state.
“We were able to recognize 19 areas across the state that had documented gang activity in a lot of urban areas,” the delegate said.
That embraces many cities in southern counties, in addition to the Northern Panhandle and middle of the state, she said.
“This is a statewide issue,” Lawrence said.
“We’re talking about serious crimes.”
Another new wrinkle is the committee substitute attempts to broaden the parameters of the bill.
“We’re not just talking about criminal street gangs but actually including criminal organized crime,” Lawrence said.
“So it will target all of that.”
Before sending the amended version to the full Senate Judiciary Committee, Laird said he “absolutely” supports it.
“It appears to be a very serious problem, particularly in the Eastern Panhandle, and the Cabell County area,” he said.
The four-time Fayette County sheriff said he has seen “off and on” during his years as the chief law enforcement officer in his district evidence of gang-related crime.
“There seems to be some regional patterns as far as street crimes,” the senator said.
“It’s certainly something that our current criminal laws do not fully address. This is an opportunity to do so. We need to be sure our laws allow police officers to deal with these kinds of problems.”
