Eyes on the streets
Dakota James’ death spurs a worthy cause
The tragic death of a loved one sometimes galvanizes families into advocacy that strengthens communities and makes them safer. Following the rape and murder of their 19-year-old daughter, Jeanne, at Lehigh University in 1986, Connie and Howard Clery successfully lobbied for a federal law, the Clery Act, requiring colleges and universities to disclose data on campus crime. After their 7-year-old daughter, Megan, was raped and murdered in 1994 by a neighbor with a history of sex offenses, New Jersey residents Richard and Maureen Kanka pushed for nationwide adoption of Megan’s Law, requiring disclosure of registered sex offenders’ addresses.
In the same spirit, Pam and Jeff James of Frederick, Md., have established the Dakota James Foundation to spare other families the anguish they have experienced. Their worthy goals include building a better network of surveillance cameras in Pittsburgh, improving the law-enforcement response to missing person cases and providing support to families searching for loved ones or trying to solve their disappearances. They unveiled their foundation Wednesday, the day on which their son would have turned 24 and his first birthday since his mysterious death.
Mr. James disappeared Jan. 25 from Downtown after having drinks with co-workers, and his body was found March 6 in the Ohio River in Robinson. The Allegheny County medical examiner ruled the death an accidental drowning. However, Mr. James’ parents remain dissatisfied with the city police bureau’s handling of the investigation and continue to believe their son was the victim of foul play.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think we would get the call to say your son is missing,” the couple say on dakotajamesfoundation. “We struggled on a daily basis trying to find answers — running into red tape and contradicting policies of local agencies and unresponsive authority figures. We did not know where to turn for help.”
A security camera captured the last-known sighting of Mr. James — in Katz Plaza in the Cultural District, presumably on a route that would have taken him across the Clemente Bridge to his North Side home. A 2015 PG story documented the presence of security cameras at the city’s River Rescue Station and PNC Park, both on the northern end of the bridge. Mr. James’ family said there was no camera on the bridge itself and no indication as to whether he even made it as far as the southern, or Downtown, end of the span.
The number and location of cameras collectively operated in Pittsburgh by various agencies — the city, Allegheny County, Port Authority and federal and state authorities — are unknown. However, weaknesses in the city’s surveillance camera system have been noted in the past; for a time last year, only 60 percent of the city’s 160 or so cameras were working. By year’s end, the city said 90 percent were operational again.
Some cities, such as London, are blanketed with cameras, and Pittsburgh would be safer with a more extensive system here. If the James’ foundation can push the city toward that goal, some crimes could be deterred and others solved.
When the Jameses arrived in Pittsburgh to help search for their son, they had to find places to stay and eat. A hotel, restaurants and the public came to their aid — and that is a credit to the city’s sense of compassion. But the couple’s foundation could pave the way for a more formal support system for family members who must stay here temporarily because loved ones are missing or dealing with the aftermath of crime. It could be modeled on the housing and other supports that hospitals have developed to assist families of out-oftown patients.
Although their grief is still raw, Mr. James’ parents recognize that they have a bully pulpit for change. They are willing to consider the needs of others and do what they can to make their son’s adopted hometown a better place.