Calming the Katrina Crime Storm with Community

Tomorrow, the City of New Orleans will hold a Crime Prevention Summit featuring former Houston mayor and police chief Lee Brown.  Brown, was Houston's police chief during the 1980s and served as the national drug czar in the Clinton administration.  Now he is chairman and CEO of the Brown Group International consulting firm.  The summit is an effort to take a holistic approach towards crime reduction.  City officials have come to realize that locking people up isn't the key to reducing crime, but rather focusing on the core issues that motivate violences: drug trade, gang activity, and trauma caused by Katrina.  The summit will feature presentations on the status of violent crime, economics and crime, the roles of race and class, and the roles of family and community in crime prevention. More from the Houston Chronicle. . .

Speaking from the roles of family and community in crime prevention, here's a case in point from Midvale Park, Tucson, AZ. The neighborhood was recently honored by the Tucson police for their cooperation with each other and law enforcement in fighting crime.  Residents have made a concerted effort to get to know the members of their community by increasing participation in monthly homeowners association meetings.  Participation in the meetings has grown 8x the level of participation during the neighborhood's most troubled times. More from Tucson Citizen. . . [Michele Berry]