Article published February 28, 2007
RESPONSE TO DETECTIVE'S SHOOTING
Toledo mayor revives proposal to hold parents liable; goal is to prevent youth crime
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.
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By CHRISTINA HALL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A day after the burial of a Toledo detective who was allegedly killed by a teenager, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner reintroduced an ordinance that would hold parents and legal guardians accountable for their children's behavior.
"Questions have been asked a lot the last week: Why was a 15-year-old out at 2 a.m.? Why was [the teen] armed with a gun?" the mayor said during a news conference yesterday.
Detective Keith Dressel, 35, was shot once in the chest with a 38-caliber handgun, the bullet perforating his heart. Police say the shooting occurred during a struggle with Robert Jobe, 15, after undercover vice detectives stopped the teen and a 19-year-old companion, Sherman Powell, in dense fog early Feb. 21 for a curfew violation and suspected drug activity.
The Jobe youth is charged with delinquency in connection with aggravated murder with a gun specification in the slaying of the officer. Mr. Powell is charged with obstruction of justice, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting arrest.
Former Police Chief Jack Smith suggested the need for legislation holding parents and guardians accountable almost year ago in connection with efforts to deal with gang violence and youth crime.
That ordinance would have allowed police to charge a parent or guardian who allows their children to hang around with criminals or to engage in crime.Mayor Finkbeiner said the reintroduced ordinance would be similar to that proposal, with parents or guardians first receiving a letter alerting them of police concerns about their children.
If the problems persist and they are charged, the parents or guardians would face a fourth-degree misdemeanor. They could be sentenced to up to 30 days in jail or a $250 fine if convicted, said John Madigan, city law director.
Mayor Finkbeiner withdrew the original legislation in June, saying he lacked the necessary votes on City Council to pass it. At that time, he said he would decide in the fall whether to resurrect the ordinance.
The mayor did so yesterday, but said his announcement was not a "knee-jerk" reaction to the death of Detective Dressel. The mayor said he thought several months ago that something like this needed to be done.
Mr. Finkbeiner said he wants to prepare and enact the ordinance "in a fair, educated, and thoughtful manner," with the assistance of the juvenile court system, parental groups such as Parents Helping Parents, the schools, and police.
Police Chief Mike Navarre said such an ordinance would give his officers another crime prevention tool.
"We are not looking to fill up the jail with parents of children who commit criminal acts. We want to give them a wake-up call," the chief said.
"We are not going after parents who are doing the best they can. Many are. But a lot of parents are neglecting their responsibilities."
Barbara Laraway, executive director of Parents Helping Parents, said there are fewer resources - such as support groups for children and long-term drug treatment facilities - than there were 20 years ago.
"It's a job," she said of parenting today. "It's not easy when you have a child that dances to a different tune."
Lucas County Juvenile Court Judge James Ray said that before the proposed legislation moves forward, "there should be some serious conversations with the National Center for Parents at the University of Toledo." The judge is the chairman of the center's board of governors.
"We need to be research-based and data-driven and measure the outcomes of what we're trying to accomplish," he said. "And that may take 5 to 10 years to do, but it can be done.
"If the city of Toledo will work with us," he added, "we may be able to put something together that is really, really useful."
Judge Ray said he recognizes that the death of Detective Dressel is an emotional time for many and that everyone wants to do something.
"I think we have a great opportunity, but I've seen this passion come and go many times," he said.
"I'm not blaming anyone. That's kind of human nature and we need to be better than that. We need to take the opportunity to improve the quality of parental supervision and the quality of life for our children," the judge said.
Councilman Michael Ashford, whose district includes crime-plagued North Toledo, said he would need to take another look at the legislation before voting on it, but agrees with proponents that parents have to be responsible for their children.
"The ordinance is only a piece of the puzzle. There are other parts to make that ordinance successful," he said.
Mr. Ashford said the north end contains some of the city's poorest, most run-down neighborhoods. The area has "very few resources" and few activities or opportunities for after-school jobs for youth.
"I am not making excuses for any parents out there or any of the kids who are not following the rules," Mr. Ashford said. "There has to be a collaborative effort of the city, the United Way, and [Lucas] county commissioners with federal dollars to do this."
Councilman Ellen Grachek said she has the same concerns she had last year about jailing a parent for the actions of a child whom the parent may be unable to control. "I want to hear from the juvenile law experts," she said.
Something needs to be done, Councilman Wilma Brown said, but she also said she wants to make sure the courts and focus groups are involved in the process. "I think it's worthy of discussing and holding parents or legal guardians responsible for the youth, [who are] in some instances, impossible to bring into the fold," said Council President Rob Ludeman.
Charles Brown, president of the African-American Parents Association, urged city officials to be "very careful" in judging parents for the crimes of their children, especially parents who sometimes are working two jobs just to make ends meet.
"When a parent leaves, the child does things the parent never dreams of them doing," he said. "Who's going to be the one who determines who's trying or who's not trying? … That's going to be a very fine line to walk."
Staff writer Tom Troy contributed to this report.
Contact Christina Hall at:
chall@theblade.com
or 419-724-6007.
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