NAACP Urges Stronger Anti-Crime Force for Compton

Calling for more vigorous efforts to reduce the murder rate in Compton, NAACP leaders said the city needs more police, more prosecutors and the community’s help to attack the problem.

So far this year there have been 72 murders in Compton, compared with 84 for all of 1994, according to police figures.

“There doesn’t seem to be any response to this,” said local NAACP President Royce Esters, who joined other officials of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People at a news conference this week on the steps of the Compton courthouse.

“We don’t hear about anybody getting caught, we don’t hear about anybody going to trial.”

But Compton Police Capt. Steven Roller said that although more officers would be welcome, a better place to start is convincing witnesses to testify against suspected killers.

“We can’t be everywhere,” he said. “We need the public’s assistance.”

Roller dismissed the group’s suggestion that the department form a commission to serve as a liaison with the community. He said law enforcement policy is best left in the hands of the police chief.

While agreeing that his office is short of staff, Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Doyle said more willingness from the community to testify in such cases would help.

“Community Watch or community patrolling is probably the best immediate thing [residents] can do,” Doyle said.