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A nice police presence

Gregory S. Murphy
Monday November 04, 2002

To the Editor: 

 

I would like to take the opportunity to commend Berkeley Police Department officer J.S. Hall for her outstanding service Halloween night. My son and his friend, both 13 years old, were trick-or-treating on College Avenue near Derby Street when they were mugged by a group of about 10 older teenage boys and had their candy bags torn out of their arms. No one was injured and the crime was minor in comparison to the increasing concerns of the neighborhood, but the violation done to those boys was as painful as any bruise. 

I reported the incident to the police and officer Hall responded promptly. She took the matter seriously and immediately gave the boys the feeling that this was not insignificant or a waste of her time, but that it was a real crime. More importantly, she allowed them to feel that they were having a positive impact in dealing with this by taking their statements and even asking them to help identify a group of teens held under similar charges (they weren’ t the same teens, unfortunately). 

Officer Hall’ s rapport with these boys helped salve the hurt and anger they experienced as crime victims. Her easy yet professional manner turned a nasty Halloween “trick” into a real treat. My son and his friend discovered that they were important in the eyes of the community, and that they handled the situation with maturity, calmness, and wisdom - all through the positive interaction with officer Hall. 

 

Gregory S. Murphy 

Berkeley