CHIEF
Continued from Page 1
vert EPD from a reactive unit,
which responds to problems
after they have started, to a
pro-active unit that works
with the community to solve
problems hefore'ihi'V be* umt
serious
Before he resigned to be
come Eugene's chief. Cooke
was a captain in the Metro
politan Police Department in
Washington, DC Ho began
working for the D C police in
1970 as a cadet and spent the
next 22 years working for the
force
Cooke, who grew up in a
small town In North taroli
na. said he welcomes the
change In living in Eugene af
ter 22 years in D C
The new chief's hiring Is
significant because he is the
first African-American, top
level administrator in Eu
gene's police or fins de|«irl
monts
" 1 ho fact I was hirer!
shows (ho city is committed
to solving one of its major
problems, which is u lack of
minorities on the force."
Cooke said
The police force should
represent the community if It
is going to Interact with the
community, he said
"The police department
should mirror tho communi
ty," Cooke said "I am not to
tally pleased wilh the num
ber of minorities on the
force."
Minorities make up 7 per
cent of ihe Eugene Depart
ment of Public Safety
“Hiring me was a sltiri,"
Cooke said, “and I will work
to hire more people of color
and will also look lo promote
more women to administra
tive positions "
Cooke said ins presence
will help bring more minor
ities to Eugene
'll sends a very positive
message that the t itv is will
ing to make changes to repre
sent the community," he
said
Cooke is familiar wilh hir
mg minorities. From 1 ‘SH<» to
lOHit. he commanded the
District of Columbia's police
rei ruilmeni branch
Carl I’rofater, assistant
( hief of |kjII< e m Washington
D C . said Cooke was ex
tremely successful in diversi
fying the 1) C polii e force
'lb' was very successful in
(ilring hispanii s and Asians,''
I’rofuter said "The depart
ment benefited from his work
and is still benefiting from
his system ''
Pmfatnr said he and Cooke
worked together lor years,
and the 1) C potior force was
sorry to see him go He also
said he was happy for Cooke
and described Cooke's new
job as a great opportunity
El’D Cupt James Horton
said Eugene was lucky lo get
Cooke
“His approach to policing
will create more interaction
between the police and the
community," Horton said
Cooke said one of his pri
orities is for KI’U to lake a
community-based approach
to policing. The community
based approach is built on
communication between the
public and the police force,
he said
■'The communications
technology inis officers in
their cars glued to their ra
dios, and the increasing
workload has kept officers
out of the community,"
Cooke said "We want them
out in the community inter
acting with the public
Hotter communication be
tween tin- officers and the
community will help to re
soivi’ smaller problems iK’
fo re they become big ones, lie
said
“If problems in the iom
munily urn solved in their
early stages through commu
nication between officers and
the public, mutual trust is os
labilshmi," Cooke said.
After mutual trusi is estab
lished, the city, community
and police ran form a part
nership and share responsi
bility for policing Eugene, he
said
Cooke; '.aid ho believes a
lack of communit'ailion was
also a problem in the campus
ana.
"I heard that there have
been some problems the; last
couple of years between stu
dtmls and police," he said
The students aro a segment
of the community, and they
have their own specific prob
lems, (looker said Ho sold he
would like to increase com
munication with the student
community to prevent stu
dent pniu e confrontations
l>e(ore they start.
Students are going to have
parties and arc; going to (eel
the need to have protests,
and both of these; activities
are fine if students operate
within the rules, Cooke said
The key to avoiding < on
fruntutions between sludemls
and police is knowing what
to expect, he said
“We need to create a dia
logue; with student leaders so
we know what to expire I from
the students," Cooke said,
and the students know what
to expee t from the police "
The current < ampus pro
grams are already set up to
accomplish Cooke's genii of
open communication, he
said
"Officer hen Saxon and
Sgt Dennis !t.ik«-r have' the
right cone ept," he- sa lei
"They have some of the most
positive programs I’ve seen
in a while "
The e ampus and the re;st ol
tvugene; should not look for
any dramatic changers in the
police font' as It moves into
community-based policing,
Cooke said
The new chief said he has
spent the first two months on
the job getting familiar with
Ins personnel The transition
to a pro-active force will take
a period of time, he said
"I feel very fortunate; to
have inherited the personnel
that I have,” he said.
Mhrnv.s
lio* %• WMl» 2«h Ani»i*«mn
will hav« a pi Annin# iommiiii» mNlin|
tor.inht *l 0 in KMt (AjdAt Room A F«*
mor» infotm*Uun. t*ll J4ft
|*4)4f*.-*r SIlMant OiKAmiAlHin will mo*l
iikUv a'. 4 30 p m In EMI < 4Kl*i R*>«m <
\iphm rhI Ohm** will moot tonight *t ©
in KMU C enlury Room B For mor«
lnform«Uon. i *il 34ft 0530
Ikiim«n Student Ahmm ulum Mill tuve IU
election day u>day from ft t. ? p m »n the
(.Alton (k»ld Room Fof mote information.
. *JI 343 371**
Alpha kappa l)rlta .th<- tcx.utiogy h<mof
sety. will have an informally >rvai merung
today at 2 p m in Rtxwn 714 PLC hot more
lalormition, call *46 soi2
Incidental lee ( ommillw will mewl
tonight at tt 30 in the KMl Hoard Room For
more inhumation, tall 346 374t»
WIXMAN
Continued from Page 1
Secretary of State |«miis
Baker is among the people l>e
mg considered for the commit
tee, Wixman sail) Th(< commit
lit! is still In the embryonic
stagf," and VVixmun will not
know for a couple of works
whrthrr Georgian olficlals will
go through with their plan, hr
said
Howrvrr, Wixman already
has Ideas about what economic:
changes hr want* for Georgia
"The grographli al situation
of Georgia makes it an ideal
place oftransport of natural re
sources from the rirwlv formed
independent central Aslanre
publics and Azerbaijan.''
Wixman said 'Georgia is in an
ideal situation to court these
areas and become the ( enter for
export for their raw materials "
Wixman said he'd like to see
a pipeline that runs through
Azerbaijan one of the oldest
petroleum producing areas in
the world to Georgia, con
ins ting the Caspian Sea to the
Hlack Sea
"Keonomit development is
one of the best ways to obtain
economii stability.’ Wixman
said "In the absenc e of stabili
ty, the potential for wars among
these people is Immense "
Wixman said he doesn't want
a war in Georgia like the one in
Bosnia-Herzegovina
"III these areas. In plait- of
real economic development,
the leaders turn to nationalist
sues to justify their own ox
(
Islnnr.fi,“ ho said
Though hi? supports econom
jc tlnvolopmonl, Wlxman said
ho won't support any invest
mnnt scam because it would
load to the downfall of demo
cratic movements in the coun
try.
Wixman said ho wants devel
opment that helps the citizens
and the leadership, "so it's not
|ust a corrupt elite that bene
fit*."
Wixman’s benefit for being
part of the committee will not
bo monetary, ho said.
The Georgian government
may pay for his occasional trips
to Washington, DC., to lobby
Congress and may pay other ex
penses, Wixman said, but most
ly the work is voluntary.
"What's my vested interest in
doing it? I care about the area,"
he said.
"I'm going to try to convince
these pooplo that they have u
vested interest in not fighting
with one another,” he said. "If
you fight with one another, no
1
DANCE
Continued from Page 1
I I.1SS bn'CHUM' she W(Isn't 1.1
rniliiir with a whole group of
specific (limi t's from ont- Af
ri< an geographicnl area
Honk..i decided to focus on
the differences fwtween Afro
( iin dance in general and
dam e in Arnrric an culture
I lie rhythm and structural
aspects of Aim an dance and
six iety are themes she c on
slantIv tries to relate to her
( lass, she said
I constantly arrange it so
thev g“t that sense of t (immu
nity. lull tlies are still indi
viduals within that nmimii
nity." Honka s.nti I use
things like the t iri le dam e to
build a sense of i (immunity
Honka said isolating cer
tain bods parts and dam mg
low to the ground are move
merits often used in African
dance, tint much harder for
people to identify svilh In
American i ulture Atnerii .in
society considers the torso
isolations a more sexual
movement, hut it is interpret
ed much differently in Afri
can culture. Honka said
"Kspei mils when a nos k e
begins to dam e, and you
watch how they get better,”
Honk.i said "They Is-gm to
take their dance to the next
level because they become
one with their body and the
community
"You learn individual
types of movements Certain
gestures have different mean
ings,” said Afrit an dance stu
dent |ill Trozolle "It’s almost
spiritual "
Before Honka began teach
ing, the dance department of
fered one African dance ( lass
for the whole year Honka
said people are still being
turned ass ay
"I think people in Eugene
Photo 0-y ^uft*
Students play different typos of drums to provide the popular Afri
can Dance class with a boat it can move to
huvo ,1 strong desire for that
kind of community," Honku
said.
Honka will stop teaching
the ( lass after fall term, but
the dance department has se
lected Kouessan Ahugto from
Togo. Africa, to take h«?r posi
tion as instructor for the
class
Abaglo is a master's of
business and administration
student and currently en
rolled in one of Hooka's two
African dance classes Occa
sionally. Abaglo helps teach
the class in order to prepare
him for his role as instructor
next term.
Honka and Jennifer C.raig,
head of the dance depart
ment. have been working
with Abaglo by helping him
present his material and in
form him of the clam its abili
ties and limitations.
Honka said that there are
danc e moves that simply can
not be done because is it is
fairly impossible for an
American to execute.
"Ho realizes what be is up
against because of the differ
ences in culture,” Honka
said.
Craig said she- is excited to
have someone from Africa
because he will bring not
only music from his home
land but guest instructors
that can contribute to the
class' diversity.
"Although he is not a
dancer, dance is very much a
part of his culture," Craig
said. "He'll f)e able to add
historical and contemporary
dance forms to the class."