For Immediate Release For More Information:

October 22, 2007 Ken Shetter

Executive Director, Safe City Commission

817-885-7774 (w); 817-707-7824 (c)

Safe City Commission Announces

Gang and Youth Violence Education & Awareness Conference for North Texas

What: 2nd Annual Gang Youth Violence Education and Awareness Conference

Who: North Texas Law Enforcement, Correctional, Educational and Community Non-Profit Professionals

When: October 24th and 25th, 2007

Where: Arlington Convention Center

***Press Conference: 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, October 24, 2007***

State Senator John Carona, US Attorney Richard Roper, Fort Worth Police Chief Ralph Mendoza, Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman, and Safe City Commission Executive Director Ken Shetter will be on-hand to unveil the new Project Safe Neighborhoods Media Campaign and discuss the Gang & Youth Violence Education and Awareness Conference.

The conference, presented by the Safe City Commission, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, the North Texas Crime Commission, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth Comin’ Up Program and LenSec, will feature 4 outstanding keynote programs and 53 workshops, all focused on gang and youth violence in North Texas. Over 425 professionals representing North Texas law enforcement, correctional, educational and community non-profit agencies are expected to attend the conference.

Keynote speakers include:
·  Al Valdez, former Supervisor of the Gang Unit for the Orange County, California D.A.’s Office and author of Gangs: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, Mental Health and Law Enforcement Professionals.
·  Robin Karr-Morse, co-auther of Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence
·  Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, nationally recognized public health leader and co-author of Murder is No Accident and Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice
·  Geoffrey Canada, author of Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and recent winner of McGraw Prize for Education

The organizations and agencies joining forces to plan and coordinate the conference include: Arlington Police Department, Gang Unit ® Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth-Comin’ Up Gang Intervention Program ® Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives ® Dallas Independent School District® Dallas Police Department, Gang Unit® Fort Worth Independent School District ® Fort Worth Police Department, Gang Unit® North Texas Crime Commission® Office of the Texas Attorney General ® Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas ® Positive Passage ® Safe City Commission ® Santa Fe Adolescent Services® Tarrant County Advocate Program ®Tarrant County Challenge, Inc. ®Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department ® Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office ® Tarrant County Juvenile Services ® Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department® Texas Offenders Re-entry Initiative of the Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc. ® Texas Regional Center for Policing Innovation