Title: In-Sites Magazine (Summer/Fall 2003)
Series: Magazine
Author: Executive Office for Weed and Seed
Published: November 2003
Subject: neighborhood restoration, law enforcement-general, drug abuse
prevention and education, terrorism and domestic preparedness
45 pages
100,866 bytes

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Executive Office for Weed and Seed

Weed & Seed
In-Sites Magazine
Summer/Fall 2003
Volume XI, Number 2

2003 National Conference Highlights
Albuquerque, New Mexico

----------------------------

In-Sites Magazine

Volume XI, Number 2
Summer/Fall 2003

Weed & Seed In-Sites is a publication of the 

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Executive Office for Weed and Seed
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
Phone: 202-616-1152 
Fax: 202-616-1159
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows

On the Cover

The cover photograph is reprinted with permission from
www.marblestreetstudio.com.

Contents

Summer/Fall 2003

o Letter From the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York

o What's Working

-- Law Enforcement

-- Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment

-- Neighborhood Restoration

o Conference Corner

o Winners

Visit www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows/abouteow.htm to learn about the functions of
EOWS and its staff and www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows/insites.htm for information
on submitting articles and comments.

----------------------------

Letter From the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York

Weed and Seed has become rooted in the American landscape as a model of
community resilience to crime. It is thus natural for communities to look to
Weed and Seed for guidance in the area of homeland security. I was proud to
take part recently in a Homeland Security Townhall Meeting organized by the
East New York Weed and Seed Steering Committee. This event exemplified
the strength and vitality of the partnerships formed among law enforcement
agencies and the community through Weed and Seed. 

Prosecutors, police, and the community represented by the Weed and Seed
Steering Committees have come to know and respect each other through
mutual commitment to reducing crime, providing safe havens for children, and
restoring neighborhoods. Through Weed and Seed, residents have rallied
together as courageous and effective fighters when drugs, abandoned buildings,
prostitution, and gangs plagued their communities. They come together,
organize, and work hard to get their neighborhoods on a healthy track--they
know about homeland defense.

How fitting it is for Weed and Seed leaders to convene a forum for concerned
people to come together to meet another challenge--the threat of terrorism. I
am confident that we can work together with great effect to overcome the
threat of terror in our communities as we have with other problems we have
faced. A good understanding of the issues of terrorism is the critical first step.
We must know what the danger is, what is being done about it, and what we
can do. That is why these meetings are so important.

I encourage all Weed and Seed Steering Committees to consider convening
meetings with Federal, State, and local agencies that are responsible for public
safety, emergency services, public education, public health, and environmental
protection. They will be able to provide you with information on the nature of
the threat faced by your community, what steps are underway to prevent
threats from being carried out, and what you can do as committed citizens to
enhance your safety and security. 

As leaders in Weed and Seed, you truly represent your community, and you
are vitally important to our strength and effectiveness in dealing with the threat
of terrorism. The purpose of terrorism is to instill fear in the community. When
communities come together to address these threats, we prove that we are not
overcome by fear, but are committed to protecting the freedoms and ideals that
make our cities and our country so great. 

So put your experience in Weed and Seed to work against the new threat of
terrorism: get informed, stay informed, and share the information with family and
neighbors. We are all responsible for keeping our communities safe. Our Weed
and Seed partnerships are good examples of how we--government and
community--can work together to face new challenges and make our
communities stronger and safer.

Roslynn R. Mauskopf
United States Attorney
Eastern District of New York

----------------------------

East New York Weed and Seed Holds Homeland Security Townhall Meeting

In the wake of September 11, 2001, and the continuing threat of terrorism,
communities across America have begun focusing on new types of public safety
issues. In Brooklyn, East New York Weed and Seed Steering Committee
members were increasingly asked by neighborhood residents, 

What can we do as individuals to make our community safe from terror
attacks? How prepared are the schools, hospitals, and emergency services to
defend against terrorists, and to minimize consequences of an attack?

The East New York Weed and Seed Steering Committee hosted a Homeland
Security Townhall Meeting to answer those critical questions and establish a
dialogue between key government agencies and the community. The U.S.
Attorney's Office helped produce posters to announce that the meeting would
be held at the Thomas Jefferson High School auditorium on April 10, 2003.
Arrangements were made to personally brief local community leaders and to
transport senior citizens to the meeting by bus. 

The publicity made clear that the purpose of the townhall meeting was

o To give the community a first-hand account of how government agencies have
prepared for terrorism-related emergencies.

o To provide the community with information on how to properly prepare for
and respond to emergencies.

The Weed and Seed program is well known and respected in the East New
York section of Brooklyn. Its reputation has been built on dogged persistence
in improving safety and quality of life in the community. Steering committee
members felt it was appropriate to take responsibility for bringing the
community together to face a new problem--uncertainty and fear of terror
attacks.

U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf welcomed attendees to the meeting. Weed
and Seed leaders Eze van Buckley and Jeanette Ruffins introduced the panel
and moderated the discussion that followed presentations by local and Federal
officials. Various government agencies and other organizations were
represented by their respective members.

Kevin Clark, of the Office of Emergency Management, explained that his office
is the coordinating agency for New York City in case of an emergency and
maintains a 24/7 watch command with mobile command posts. Sgt. Yvette
Aguiar, of the New York Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Division,
explained that her recently formed division maintains a command center, which
is a repository for intelligence information concerning terrorism.

Gerard McCardy, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, described
the organization's function, which includes the management of Federal agencies
responding to emergencies and coordination of the recovery response. He also
explained the importance of individual action and urged citizens to plan on how
they will take care of themselves in emergency situations.

Greg Thomas, of the New York City Department of Education, reported that
each of more than 1,100 area schools has submitted safety plans to the
department that first responders can access online before they respond to an
incident. Deputy Borough Commander Edward Kilduff, of the New York City
Fire Department, reported that emergency responses are now managed by a
nationally certified incident management team that has received special Federal
training in incident responses.

Sarah Roberts, of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
described the public health and mental hygiene missions of her department and
how they are met through surveillance, coordination, and communication.
Arnaldo Salinas, Senior Director of the Guardian Angels, a nongovernmental
organization, presented information on providing safety training to members of
the community.

Residents of East New York left the meeting with a better understanding of
how government agencies are prepared for terror threats and an appreciation of
what individuals can do to prepare for, and respond to, a possible terrorist
attack. 

This meeting on homeland security is an example of a lasting effect of the U.S.
Department of Justice's investment in community-based programs. Weed and
Seed has given people an opportunity to take responsibility for public safety in
their community and a forum through which they can partner with law
enforcement agencies. In Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood, Weed and
Seed has become synonymous with working toward a safer community, no
matter what the threat.  

For more information on planning a Homeland Security Townhall Meeting,
contact Eze van Buckley at 718-346-8489, ext. 522. 

----------------------------

U.S. Attorney Melgren Meets With Wichita/Sedgwick Weed and Seed

Riley Williams, Coordinator, Wichita/Sedgwick County Weed and Seed
Steve Nevil, LECC Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office
Lt. Wanda Givens, Weed and Seed Coordinator

Eric Melgren, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, visited the
Wichita/Sedgwick County Weed and Seed Steering Committee meeting in
October to discuss the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a
Federal initiative introduced by President George W. Bush and U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft designed to reduce gun violence in neighborhoods
across America. Mr. Melgren described what PSN will mean to local
communities, how he anticipates the program will work, and that this initiative is
one of his district's top priorities.

Dr. Leonard Wesley, Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Wichita/
Sedgwick County Weed and Seed site, was pleased that the U.S. Attorney
had stopped by to enlighten the 40 committee members in attendance about his
future plans. Several Wichita neighborhoods had experienced recent episodes
of violence and joined Weed and Seed to garner support for their efforts to
change the image of their areas. 

"We are appreciative of the information provided to us in this presentation and
are glad that Mr. Melgren took the time to share his vision on PSN before it
was introduced to the media," said Wesley.

Jackie LeGrand, Director of Senior Services and a member of the steering
committee, also addressed the gathering and said that she was excited about
the support for senior citizens, one of the most valuable resources in a
community, to join in the efforts to strengthen our families' ability to keep our
neighborhoods safe. Several community-based service providers have joined
with the Fairmount and Kenmar neighborhood associations to provide a safe
environment and supervised evening and after-school activities for
neighborhood youth. She said that being informed about the U.S. Attorney's
plan for attacking violence in Kansas helps keep neighborhoods feeling
connected and their active residents prepared to answer questions that will arise
about PSN. 

In the coming year, U.S. Attorneys' Offices statewide will implement a training
program to reach out to law enforcement and local prosecutors to ensure that
reducing gun violence will be foremost in their area plans. A media campaign is
also planned to focus public attention on the rising tide of gun violence. As part
of the outreach portion of PSN, many U.S. Attorneys' Offices are partnering
with Weed and Seed components to accomplish this goal. Wichita/Sedgwick
County Weed and Seed hopes to play a role in this effort and will continue to
be a positive force in the community by keeping the community involved and
informed. 

Fairmount Park Reclaimed After Double Homicide

The Fairmount Neighborhood Association in Wichita, Kansas, says no to
violence and wants its park to continue to be used by the children and families
of the community. Sparked by a tragic shooting that cost the lives of two young
adult gang members who chose to settle a dispute in the park, the Fairmount
Neighborhood Association organized and promoted the Fifth Annual Harvest
Fest to reclaim the park. Supporting the association in its endeavor were the
Wichita Police Department, Wichita Housing Authority, Wichita Family
Services Institute, Inc., Wichita/Sedgwick County Weed and Seed, Omega Psi
Phi Fraternity, Kansas Army National Guard, and the Hot 107.9 JAMZ radio
station.

The Harvest Fest attracted more than 600 parents and children to the park for
a night of pre-Halloween activities. So many children attended that they had to
be placed in age categories to attend a drug education and awareness lecture
before they could participate in a variety of games. Each child was given a
Jack-o-Lantern filled with treats and enjoyed hotdogs, chips, and soft drinks.
Parents were given free smoked turkey legs. Afterwards, children and parents
participated in an old-fashioned hayrack ride through the neighborhood to cap
off an enjoyable fall night and broadcast the message that the park once again
belongs to the community.

The children and parents were ecstatic about the event and the good time that
they had while interacting with their neighbors and the Wichita police officers
who provided security. Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams was among
those who attended the event.

----------------------------

Gulfton Weed and Seed Apartment Outreach Initiative

Nyelene Qasem, Weed and Seed Coordinator

Gulfton is a 3.4-square-mile section of southwest Houston, Texas. The area has
more than 60 apartment complexes and 60,000 residents, including many
low-income immigrants, refugees, and undocumented workers who have a
negative view of the police. Often, residents do not report crimes and become
further victimized by robbers, gang members, and hoodlums. Weed and Seed
Steering Committee members decided that it would be beneficial to bring police
officers into the community so residents could see that they are there to help
them. 

The Gulfton Weed and Seed Initiative has been bridging the gap between the
Houston Police Department (HPD) and residents of the Gulfton community
since 1998. Initially, Houston police officers knocked on doors at more than 40
apartment complexes conducting a quality-of-life survey and taking residents
complaints about living conditions and crime. Officers investigated any code
violation complaints that they received to gain the residents' trust. They
distributed magnets with police phone numbers and the hours of the HPD
Gulfton Storefront office, a resource directory of free services available in the
community, and a flier about informational meetings where the community can
meet the police, ask questions, and discuss community issues.

The community meetings are held on various evenings in apartment complexes.
The HPD captain for the Fondren Division and the Weed and Seed liaison
officer attend every meeting. A community outreach worker facilitates the
meetings and translates for the captain and officer. The officer talks about how
the police can help create a safer community and explains that officers cannot
ask for immigration documentation unless an individual has committed a crime.
The officer also explains that calls for service are assigned from greatest to least
need and how residents can file a complaint about an officer, as well as when to
dial 9-1-1 and when to call dispatch.

The captain explains how he assigns patrol units to the area according to the
number of calls for service and that it is important for residents to call when
there is trouble in a complex so he knows where to assign the most officers.
Residents are then allowed to ask questions of the HPD representatives. Myths
about police can run rampant in the community, so receiving information directly
from officers helps clear up confusion about how HPD works.

Since the program began, outreach meetings have been held at more than 48
apartments, with an average attendance of more than 35 residents at each
meeting. The meetings have generated more calls for service in Gulfton and a
large increase in traffic to the HPD Gulfton Storefront, as well as more contacts
with area service providers requesting officers to assist with community events
and safety presentations.

For more information about the Gulfton Apartment Outreach Initiative, call
Nyelene Qasem, Program Coordinator, at 713-314-3550 or Officer Joe
Esquivel at 713-773-7940. 

Civic-Minded Youth

Gulfton United Minds was formed in 2001 to organize team-building activities
for youth in the Gulfton area. Funded by Gulfton Youth Development, this
group of youth between ages 12 and 16 organizes group community service
projects and learns about civic responsibility.

During the past 2 years, United Minds youth have completed two park
cleanups, served on the Gulfton Youth Development Steering Committee,
worked as juror counselors at the Campo del Sol Summer Day Camp
Program, and held a beach party for three youth councils in Galveston, Texas.
But their biggest accomplishment was the Haunted House they held last
Halloween for the children of the Gulfton community.

The group took weeks to plan, design, solicit donations, create scripts for
character actors, design costumes, and coordinate lighting, music, and security
for the Fifth Annual Gulfton Haunted House. More than 700 residents brought
their families to this free event at the Weed and Seed Safe Haven. Houston
police officers monitored the activities to ensure the event was safe. Children
and their parents were led into the Haunted House and were treated to 15
minutes of ghouls, ghosts, and Blair Witch adventures. Candy bags were given
to all children who made it through the tour. Younger children had their own
activities: a pinata, balloon games, pumpkin bowling, and musical chairs.

----------------------------

Salt Lake COPS Advance Meth Initiative

Chief Charles F. "Rick" Dinse, Salt Lake City Police Department

With the efforts of the Salt Lake City Weed and Seed site, the Salt Lake City
Police Department began to track criminal activity associated with
methamphetamine. An assessment of the problem in Salt Lake City found that
clandestine labs increased 41 percent from 1997 to 1998 and that treatment
admissions for methamphetamine had increased 25 percent from 1990 to 1997. 

To combat the use, distribution, and production of methamphetamine and other
dangerous drugs, the department forged a collaborative effort known as the
Salt Lake City COPS Meth Initiative. The Meth Initiative was established in
January 1998 with funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS) and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. The initiative is a
partnership of more than 30 agencies including law enforcement, child
protective services, prosecution, the courts, medical providers, substance abuse
treatment, environmental protection, and public schools. The partners' work
group is organized into five subcommittees: Law Enforcement, Prosecution,
Child Endangerment, Treatment, and Public Awareness.

Law Enforcement
The Intelligence Office is a key component of the police department's Meth
Team and provides the technical and computer expertise to combat today's
drug manufacturing and distribution networks. This support has resulted in
greater hours spent in the field by detectives and more thorough and complete
investigations. Since implementing the office, response time to the drug hotline
has decreased by more than 400 percent, even though the volume of calls has
increased more than 150 percent. This has had a positive impact on the
community because residents receive a response to their complaint within 2
weeks and sometimes even get immediate relief.

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department has implemented countywide
regulations for the cleanup of chemically contaminated properties. In addition,
statewide legislation has been proposed to mandate timely decontamination and
rehabilitation of such properties.  

Prosecution
Prosecution Subcommittee members wrote and helped pass the Endangerment
of a Child or Elder Adult Statute in 2000. During the 2002 legislative session,
the statute was amended to facilitate prosecution under the law. Anyone who
exposes a child or elder adult to controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, or
chemical substances can be charged with a felony offense. In Utah, child
endangerment crimes are victim crimes and subject violators to enhanced
penalties. One of the subcommittee's priorities has been to provide training on
the amended statute to law enforcement and prosecutors statewide. 

Child Endangerment
One of the Meth Initiative's major successes is Salt Lake's Drug Endangered
Children (DEC) program, which addresses the growing epidemic of children
who are exposed to dangerous drugs and chemicals. The DEC program
combines the resources of law enforcement, prosecution, child protective
services, environmental health, and medical personnel to provide a combined
response in drug cases involving children. The agencies have put together joint
protocols to be implemented when children are found at scenes where narcotics
are present.

Children exposed to drugs are often subject to physical and emotional neglect
and live in filthy conditions. Primary Children's Medical Center developed
protocols for treating children with possible drug or chemical exposure.
Children who have been exposed to drugs are transported to the center's
emergency department where they are evaluated and treated for any health
problems.

Some 54 percent of children tracked by this project from 2000 through 2002
tested positive for multiple drugs through a hair analysis test. At present, it is
unknown what the long-term effects are to children who are exposed to
methamphetamine. The National Institute on Drug Addictions is working with
medical personnel to conduct a descriptive study of children who are exposed
to methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs. 

In March 2003, the Meth Initiative held a Drug Endangered Children
Conference, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Training was provided about the
resources available to address the problems associated with youth and drugs.

Treatment
One of the most important projects of the Treatment Subcommittee was the
creation of the Women and Children Residential Program, which was designed
to address the gap in services for pregnant women and infants who are born
exposed to drugs. Treatment services for pregnant women have been expanded
to provide immediate access to services, outreach services for high-risk clients,
and a system of intensive collaboration and case staffing between involved
agencies. Pregnant women and women who have given birth to a drug-addicted
infant are immediately transported from hospitals and crime scenes to
detoxification units and then directly into treatment services.

The Meth Initiative has also been involved with Utah's Third District Drug
Court programs in both felony drug cases and juvenile court cases, in which
children have been removed from their parents' custody by social services.
These programs use the assets of various agencies such as the courts, law
enforcement, and treatment to combat the far-reaching effects of addiction.

Public Awareness
The Public Awareness Campaign consists of public service announcements,
billboards, direct neighborhood contacts, educational videos, pamphlets, and a
collaborative training effort initiated through the partnering agencies for public
schools, landlords, utilities, social service agencies, and hospitals. Through the
campaign, citizens learn about the health dangers associated with meth labs as
well as the financial impact meth labs have on the community and their effect on
neighborhood safety. As citizens recognize the indicators of meth labs, they
become empowered to help keep their neighborhood safe. The involvement of
the community in law enforcement efforts is a key component to implementing
long-term solutions. 

For more information, contact Marjean Searcy, Project Coordinator, at 801-
799-3357, or at the COPS office, Ed Mixon at 202-616-1314. 

Meth Initiative Training Classes

Drug Endangered Children--Training on Salt Lake's Drug Endangered Children
Program, designed for law enforcement, prosecutors, and child protective
services workers.

Meth: Production, Use, and Consequences--Signs and symptomology of meth
and other dangerous drugs. Includes information on the health, social, and legal
consequences of narcotics.

Law Enforcement Clandestine Lab Course--Clandestine lab identification,
search and seizure, child endangerment, and Health Department cleanup
regulations.

Toxicology and Clandestine Lab Regulations--Environmental health training on
Salt Lake County regulations, methamphetamine production, and the health and
safety aspects of a clandestine lab.

Innkeepers Course to Narcotic Interdiction--Legal information, trafficking
trends, and drug identifiers for owners, managers, housekeepers, and desk
clerks.

Child Endangerment Statute--Training on Utah's amended Endangerment of a
Child or Elderly Adult Statute with tips for successful prosecution and
alternative charging options.

----------------------------

Sixth District High Risk Unit Lowers Risk to the Public

Gary Hinzman, Director, Iowa Department of Correctional Services

The ability to closely monitor the activities of violent, high-risk offenders is
paramount to preventing new destructive behavior. Their numbers include
career criminals, antisocial individuals, and prolific offenders who do not want
to be supervised by probation or parole officers. While discussions abound
about what works with supervision, corrections officials agree on a few factors:

o Recidivism rates are highest in the first year following an offender's release.

o Offenders with psychological problems or mental illness can maintain
community stability with consistent and frequent supervision contacts.

o Violent offenders with alcohol and other drug problems can best be kept in
treatment by staff who have the specialized training to deal with that population
on the street.

These are the profiles of offenders who, without this structure and supervision,
ultimately commit heinous acts, including acts of terrorism.

Adequate resources have never been available to develop initiatives to address
the public safety problem of offenders who abscond from their parole/probation
supervision. Frequently, corrections thinks absconders are law enforcement's
problem and law enforcement sees them as a corrections issue. It is safe to
assume that these fugitives, while they remain unsupervised, have a negative
impact on public safety and continue to victimize their communities. Violent
offenders have demonstrated that their lives are in serious need of change.
Absconding from supervision magnifies the fact that their behaviors are out of
control and that returning them to supervision is in the best interest of public
safety.

Creating the Cedar Rapids High Risk Unit
To respond to the need for supervision, the Sixth Judicial District Department
of Correctional Services, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, created a High
Risk Unit (HRU) of parole and probation officers trained by the Iowa Law
Enforcement Academy. HRU has two supervisors and eight certified officers.
This unit closely manages the high-risk population in accordance with
department standards for high-risk offenders. 

The department has developed the electronic capacity to share offender
information and profiles with Cedar Rapids street officers and area law
enforcement. The chief judge of the district ordered that a clause be added to
our standard probation agreement that requires all offenders on probation to
submit their home, vehicle, or personal possessions to a search at any time by
probation officers or law enforcement officers working with probation officers.
These are powerful investigative and enforcement tools that probation can use
to improve public safety. 

Two recent examples of HRU using this search standard resulted in positive
outcomes. In one case, HRU officers were sent out to conduct a routine check
on a probationer who would not report for an appointment. It was suspected
that she was using drugs. Arriving at her residence, HRU officers heard several
voices within the residence before a male finally answered the door and denied
there were any other occupants. A search of the residence turned up five other
people and officers discovered a methamphetamine lab and distribution
operation. Of the six people in the residence, three were on adult supervision
and two were on juvenile supervision. The case was referred to Federal
prosecutors.

Another case involved the random check of a client for compliance with
supervision conditions. A delay in answering the door, nervousness on the
client's part, and furtive movements inside the apartment gave the officer further
cause to investigate. The Cedar Rapids Police Department arrived with backup
and a K-9 search uncovered a 59-gram rock of crack cocaine. The K-9
officer commented that this was the largest quantity of drugs discovered by the
unit in some time. An occupant in the apartment who happened to be there
from a neighboring State was charged in Federal court. 

An example of tracking down fugitives took place when three inmates escaped
from a residential facility in Coralville, Iowa, which is in the Sixth District. One
inmate was serving a 25-year sentence for second-degree sexual abuse,
another was serving a 5-year sentence for lascivious acts with a child, and the
third was doing time for forgery. They had not returned as scheduled on a
Saturday evening. HRU staff received a tip on the whereabouts of one of them
on Monday morning and by Monday afternoon all three were arrested and
placed in custody by HRU officers.

Developing Important Partnerships 
Partnering with local law enforcement has also proved to be a valuable tool.
HRU was asked to work with an Iowa State trooper who had a probationer
under surveillance for suspicion of possible meth production. He was on
supervision for possession of a firearm as a felon. Recent reports provided
information that he was discharging firearms in his backyard and poaching deer.
A raid of his residence resulted in the arrest of an absconder from another Iowa
district. Additionally, chemicals and material for making methamphetamine,
several firearms (rifles and handguns), and the carcasses of two poached deer
were discovered. Charges filed as a result included felon in possession of
firearms, possession of methamphetamine, possession of stolen property
(firearm), and child endangerment. There was a 4-year-old child in the home
who had access to the weapons and drugs. 

Partnering with law enforcement is an integral part of corrections supervision
but cannot be relied on too heavily when performing routine duties.
Consequently, HRU was established to aggressively look for absconders,
conduct special investigations, supervise those identified as being most
dangerous, and check locations and facilities that might be perceived as havens
for offenders participating in covert activities that promote and conceal the most
dangerous members of society. A computerized imaging system was developed
to enhance communication by sharing offender photos and vehicle and home
pictures. The system also can map and plot the residences of offenders instantly
to help eliminate any gaps in tracking the more subversive criminals.

With overcrowded prisons, judges can be forced to sentence some high-risk
offenders to community supervision. Too often, aggressive offenders perceive
this type of sentence as an opportunity to wreak havoc in the community,
hoping that corrections officials will not be able to keep track of them.
Additionally, many offenders use the Interstate Compact for the Supervision of
Parolees and Probationers to further the goals of their criminal drug operations
and extend their tentacles into other States. Once under supervision in another
State, they have greater freedom to operate because it is difficult to get courts
to quickly review cases of offenders from outside their State's boundaries. To
help with this matter, HRU has started to share information with Federal task
forces to map the locations where these offenders are heading to determine set
patterns. 

Since 9/11, the U.S. Attorney General's Office has asked its field offices to
work with State and local law enforcement and corrections officials to reduce
gun-, domestic-, and drug-related violence. The Sixth District responded by
developing an objective protocol to identify the 25 highest risk, violent
offenders in the community. Working with law enforcement and local and
Federal prosecutors, the district's HRU provides a more intensive level of
supervision for compliance. This helps deter future crimes or acts of terrorism.
Noncompliant offenders are returned to residential facilities, the violators
program, jail, or prison. All noncompliant offenders are considered for
prosecution in Federal courts.

Combating Terrorism
The terrorist acts in Oklahoma City and New York City have caused the entire
criminal justice system to take another look at offenders who could be involved
in future activities of this nature. Terrorist organizations are actively recruiting in
American prisons, and some domestic organizations have expressed sympathy
with foreign terrorist causes. Consequently, members of HRU have
membership in law enforcement intelligence and gang organizations. These
members work closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify
potential terrorist suspects and with local and Federal drug task forces.

HRU's supervisor was asked to become a member of the Terrorism Task
Force for the Northern District of Iowa. The district director has been asked to
become a member of the statewide task force for Partnerships for Safe
Neighborhoods, covering the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. It is
apparent that others see the role of probation and community corrections as
crucial to community safety and homeland security. 

In summary, the need to monitor high-risk offenders is paramount. Cooperating
and conducting joint operations with law enforcement and effectively monitoring
for compliance holds one of the keys to solutions for creating safer, healthier
communities. 

----------------------------

Neighborhood Enhancement: A Positive Team Approach

Capt. Ronald W. Shipp, Jr., Peoria Police Department

Thinking outside the box generates great results when it comes to neighborhood
enhancement. After receiving direction from the Peoria, Illinois, Weed and
Seed Steering Committee to increase neighborhood-policing activities, city
departments met to identify new strategies to address the quality of life in the
Weed and Seed area. The meeting resulted in the formation of the
Neighborhood Enhancement Action Team (NEAT).

NEAT pooled all of the city's departments and the Weed and Seed coordinator
into one team. Representatives from each department met to identify areas
where the various ordinances that deal with quality-of-life issues in the
neighborhoods under their aegis could be jointly addressed. They met monthly
to assess their progress and set dates for neighborhood assessment in order to
improve the quality of life in Weed and Seed neighborhoods. Those meetings
addressed problems regarding code violations and enforcement, voluntary
compliance, and operational issues. 

NEAT members decided that they would take at least one action per week to
enhance enforcement and compliance activity in the Weed and Seed site.
Information from followups conducted after visiting the various neighborhoods
in the Weed and Seed site was shared with department heads and legal staff
about the need to revise outdated codes. 

Although city departments had worked together in the past, they had never
joined together in a structural way to address problems in neighborhoods that
often overlap between the services provided by each department. The insight
gained by working together created a new synergy between city departments.
The productivity outcome was measured by the three-digit percentage increase
in the number of properties found in violation of city codes and that were now
being brought into compliance. 

The city's three oversight committees for problem properties also were
combined under NEAT, which now reports on all problem or complaint
properties to the city council and city manager. To better oversee these
properties, a better database using MS Access instead of MS Excel was
created. The synergy spoken of earlier manifested itself when two police
officers, Phil Fisher and Jeff Kice, with the assistance of a computer
programmer and input from all of the city departments, devised a better
program to capture and report data. The data collected now include not only
information about problem properties and issued citations, but also digital
photographs of the properties. 

A database has been constructed that enables NEAT to track and identify
problem or chronic problem properties. By storing this data on a network
drive, enabling input by NEAT, and allowing each department to access the
information, city departments are communicating better about what each has
done with a particular property. 

By tapping the collective minds and resources in the city, NEAT has achieved
remarkable results. Quality-of-life and safety issues are now being addressed
with input from both city staff and neighborhood groups, and individual
complaints are addressed in a more timely, effective, and efficient manner.

For more information about NEAT, contact Capt. Ronald W. Shipp, Jr., at
309-494-8323. 

----------------------------

Four Federal Agencies Tackle Lead Paint in St. Louis

Annemarie Offer

In November 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, and Executive Office for Weed and Seed joined to
create a Lead Paint Education and Awareness Campaign focused on the seven
Weed and Seed neighborhoods in St. Louis, Missouri. The agencies committed
$150,000 to the project, with EPA, Region VII, approving an additional
$30,000.

"It is our intent to focus this training in Weed and Seed neighborhoods
exclusively," said Kim Norman, Executive Director of Operation Weed and
Seed St. Louis. "This will allow us to present a model with measured
effectiveness that could be replicated by the city of St. Louis and enhance the
current lead paint initiative underway. As the city of St. Louis leads the Nation
in lead paint contamination, it is also our intent to use this negative statistic in a
positive fashion--presenting a successful demonstration project to the Nation
that could be replicated in other cities with lead paint contamination issues."

Lead poisoning of children is a serious health concern in the St. Louis region.
Most homes and apartments built before 1978 in St. Louis have paint that
contains lead. Lead paint, paint chips, and even small amounts of lead dust
pose a serious health hazard to children. Clinical studies indicate that
lead-poisoned children are seven times more likely to drop out of school than
children who are not, are six times more likely to be reading impaired, and have
a 38-percent greater risk of participating in delinquent behavior. Lead poisoning
has been linked to attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, neurological
problems, and kidney damage. Although the effect of lead poisoning is not
reversible, it is 100-percent preventable.

The Lead Paint Education and Awareness Campaign focused on training
landlords, visiting health care professionals, contractors, and community leaders
who come in direct contact with lead paint issues in these neighborhoods.
These individuals are now able to assess possible lead paint contamination,
appropriately dispose of lead paint, and refer those affected to health care
professionals for treatment. Key elements of the campaign included a 2-day
conference, workshops at community conferences, a targeted marketing
campaign to reach community leaders in Weed and Seed neighborhoods, and
development of protocols for visiting health care professionals who provide
care for residents.

The Lead Free 2003 conference was held in St. Louis September 13-14,
2002, and kicked off a 12-month public awareness campaign about lead
poisoning prevention efforts in the region. Partners for the campaign included
the St. Louis Lead Prevention Coalition, Metro East Lead Collaborative, and
St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department. Local sponsors of the
conference included the St. Louis Lead Prevention Coalition, Mercy Health
Systems, U.S. Bank, St. Luke's Hospital, Husch & Eppenberger, and Fred
Weber.

Conference speakers included Herbert Needleman, M.D., and Susan
Thornfeldt. Dr. Needleman is a pediatrician and child psychologist at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a distinguished researcher who
determined the developmental implications of excessive exposure to lead. He
has worked tirelessly to force governments and industry to confront the
implications of his findings and has received the prestigious Heinz Award in the
Environment for his contributions to the understanding and prevention of
childhood lead poisoning.

The mother of a lead-poisoned child, Susan Thornfeldt is a nationally known
speaker on childhood lead poisoning. Ms. Thornfeldt is Director of the Maine
Lead Action Project and serves on the board of the Alliance to End Childhood
Lead Poisoning. 

Other presenters at the conference included the Honorable Francis Slay,
Mayor of St. Louis; Dr. Rebecca Tominack; Chris King of the St. Louis
University School of Public Health; State Senator Patrick Doherty; Kim
Norman of Operation Weed and Seed St. Louis; Kara Penn of the Metro East
Lead Collaborative; Judy Riehl, Executive Director of the St. Louis Lead
Prevention Coalition; and Jerry Wessels of the St. Louis City Department of
Public Safety. 

Operation Weed and Seed St. Louis is chaired by U.S. Attorney Ray
Gruender. Mayor Slay, Chief of Police Joseph Mokwa, and Jennifer Joyce, St.
Louis Circuit Attorney, serve on its steering committee. 

For more information on Lead Free 2003 or Operation Weed and Seed St.
Louis, contact Annemarie Offer at 314-968-8285 or e-mail
annemarie@leadfree2003.com. Additional information is available at
www.leadfree2003.com. 

----------------------------

AtlantiCare Foundation Opens Second Atlantic City Weed and Seed Safe
Haven

Jennifer Tornetta, Public Relations Manager, AtlantiCare

A former abandoned building in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has become the
AtlantiCare Foundation's second Atlantic City Weed and Seed Safe Haven
site. More than 20 businesses and organizations and hundreds of individuals
throughout New Jersey contributed to the Safe Haven refurbishment project by
donating almost $179,000 worth of services and equipment to the $213,000
project.

Atlantic City Weed and Seed is recognized and funded through the Executive
Office for Weed and Seed under the leadership of the U.S. Attorney's Office
and the AtlantiCare Foundation. A component of Weed and Seed, Safe Haven
provides a safe place for children to spend after-school hours.

"This newest Save Haven site will give children who live in Atlantic City
worthwhile alternatives to being on the street, positive role models, and helpful
guidance," said Deputy U.S. Attorney Lee A. Solomon. "This collaborative
effort to build a safe place for children enhances the community in many ways,
which will show their effect in years to come." 

Located behind the police ministation at 2315 Arctic Avenue, the site had been
renovated before 1994 for use by the Atlantic City Police Department. The
current renovation for Safe Haven was accomplished with support from the
city, the police department, and the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment
Development Authority. AtlantiCare's Weed and Seed program initiated the
refurbishment project in February 2002. The project also received a $15,000
Atlantic City Community Development Block Grant.

Joseph Jingoli & Son Construction Management, of Lawrenceville, New
Jersey, contributed $50,000 of resources to the project. Owner Joseph Jingoli
donated the expertise of construction manager William Francesconi, who
coordinated and supervised everything from adding the new roof to installing
the new floor.

"Being part of the renovation was a tremendous experience," said Francesconi.
"We went through all the normal approval and building processes. The only
difference was, since most of the building work was donated, we really had to
coordinate our work around contributors' schedules. Some people worked
early mornings, others nights, others whenever they could fit it into their regular
jobs."

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority contributed $16,995. "The
newest Safe Haven site is truly a gift from the community for the community,"
said Edward Gant, the authority's Board Chairman. "The success of this special
project is an example of the power of voluntarism and the crucial role
businesses play in positively influencing young people." 

"By working together, we're providing young people with a wonderful
resource," said Gwen Meusburger, Executive Director of the AtlantiCare
Foundation. "Safe Haven enhances the lives of those it touches and contributes
to the health and well-being of our community."

In addition to replacing the roof and raising and tiling the floor, the work
included installing new heating and air conditioning, electricity and lighting, and
smoke detector and alarm systems; replacing the gas meter; modifying the
restroom to make it accessible to people with disabilities; adding siding to the
exterior; painting the interior; and installing new windows to give the children
some natural light.

"The improvements to the building are incredibly impressive," said Sergeant
Michael Tullio, spokesman for the police department. "Everyone who
contributed to the weeding and seeding of transforming this building into a Save
Haven for children should be proud of what they have created."

Safe Haven offers children educational, emotional, physical, and social support.
It provides tutoring and homework assistance 5 days a week and offers
computer access, arts, crafts, and games. Social programs include reading
clubs, basketball teams, a gardening club, community park cleanup programs,
and other group activities. Through Kids Caf‚, children are provided with a full
dinner twice a week. Safe Haven also hosts parent group meetings and links
children and families who are struggling with behavior and anger management
problems with appropriate resources.

Operation Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy--rather than a grant program-
-which aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang
activity in targeted high crime neighborhoods. The strategy involves a
two-pronged approach. Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate
in "weeding out" criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse.
"Seeding" brings human services to the area, encompassing prevention,
intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration. A community-orientated
policing component bridges weeding and seeding strategies.

The AtlantiCare Foundation raises funds to support the programs and services
of the Atlantic City Medical Center, including the Heart Institute, the Joint and
Spine Institute, and women's and children's health care services. The foundation
also supports numerous community outreach programs designed to improve the
quality of life in southeastern New Jersey. Approximately 400 children are
currently enrolled in the after-school program at AtlantiCare's first Safe Haven
site in the Patsy Wallace building at 2231 Arctic Avenue.

---------------------------- 

Weed and Seed Partners With Professional Women's Football Team

Dee Brooks, Youth Services Coordinator, Cleveland Weed and Seed

The Weed and Seed site in Cleveland, Tennessee, has formed an unusual and
historic partnership. The site has been adopted by the Chattanooga
Locomotion women's football team in the Southern Conference of the
professional National Women's Football Association (NWFA), which finished
the 2002 season with a 4 and 4 record.

The Weed and Seed strategy uses partnerships to weed out the negative
aspects of a neighborhood and seed in positive programs, and Locomotion
players are involved in many of these activities. They participate in Treasures in
Trash, a neighborhood cleanup effort; National Make a Difference Day, in
which the team cleaned up a neighborhood home and kept the family living
there from being evicted; and National Night Out Against Crime. They also
mentor at-risk girls from the neighborhood through the U.S. Navy/Executive
Office for Weed and Seed's Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) program.

The owners of the Locomotion, Ken and Tammy Hall, sponsor a Weed and
Seed night at a home game each season. Weed and Seed youth are given free
transportation to and from the game, free admission, and are recognized at
halftime. They also get to see their Youth Services Coordinator in a different
role: I play defensive end for the Locomotion. 

Thirty-two teams are participating in NWFA's 2003 season with several more
slated to begin play in the 2004 season. NWFA CEO Catherine Masters
began the league in 2000 with 2 teams, expanded to 10 teams in 2001, and to
21 in 2002. She likens the Locomotion's partnership with Weed and Seed to
the one between the National Football League and United Way and is excited
about the possibilities it brings. Planned activities for summer 2003 include
sports mini-camps, a health and nutrition fair, and a Christmas float in this year's
parade.

"It's a really great thing for our teams to participate in community service
activities, and to be able to work with the Weed and Seed program is just
fantastic," said Masters.

----------------------------

Massachusetts Attorney General Takes Oath at Boston Weed and Seed Site

Jennifer Grigoraitis, Development Coordinator, Safe Neighborhood Initiative
Division, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General

On January 15, 2003, Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly took the
oath for his second term at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in the Boston
neighborhood of Grove Hall, the target area for the Boston Weed and Seed
site. Attorney General Reilly chose Burke High School for his inauguration to
recognize the neighborhood's successful collaboration of crime prevention and
community development efforts and to honor the work of the community
residents and agencies implementing the Weed and Seed strategy.

Grove Hall received official recognition as a Weed and Seed site in 1996.
Weed and Seed partners include the Office of the Attorney General, Project
RIGHT, the Boston Police Department, the Suffolk County District Attorney's
Office, the city of Boston, representatives from State agencies, Grove Hall
service providers, neighborhood associations, and community residents.

In 2002, Boston Weed and Seed established the Multi-Unit Housing Initiative
to address violent crime in the multiunit apartment buildings overly concentrated
in Grove Hill. Additionally, with Byrne Federal formula funds allotted by the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety to the Office of the Attorney
General, Boston Weed and Seed and its partners are in the second year of a
pilot project for juveniles returning to the target area after a period of physical
custody in the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. 

Among the notable participants at the inauguration were Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino, Associate State Supreme Court Justice Roderick Ireland,
former U.S. Attorney Wayne Budd, and Rev. Ray Hammond of the Bethel
AME Church. Students from the Burke High School choir performed the
National Anthem, and the school's Marine Corps Junior ROTC Honor Guard
led the Pledge of Allegiance and participated in the Posting of Colors with the
Boston and Massachusetts State Police Departments' Honor Guards.

In his inaugural address, Attorney General Reilly spoke of the success of the
Weed and Seed strategy in helping the community take back its neighborhood.
"Ten years ago, if you walked outside of this school you would have seen a
community under siege," Reilly said. "Gang wars, gun violence, open drug
dealing, things that should not be tolerated anywhere. But the people of Grove
Hall stepped up. They realized that more is accomplished by working together.
Looking back from where we are now, it is like night and day."

Despite these accomplishments, Attorney General Reilly reminded the audience
that there is still work to be done. "As proud as [the residents] are of the
progress they have made, they will also tell you how fragile a peace this is. They
believe that they can make this neighborhood an even better place to live,"
Reilly said. "They need our continued support. We have to let them finish the
job."

Attorney General Reilly continues to monitor the progress of the Grove Hall
community. On June 12, 2003, he participated in the graduation ceremony at
Burke High School to express his gratitude to the students who made his
inauguration so special and to help celebrate their accomplishments.

The Attorney General's Office is the grantee for Boston Weed and Seed and
provides grants administration, management, and two prosecutors as in-kind
donations to the effort. All Weed and Seed funds are directed to the Boston
Police Department and community-based organizations.

For more information on Boston Weed and Seed, contact Jennifer Grigoraitis
at 617-727-2200 or e-mail jennifer. grigoraitis@ago.state.ma.us.

----------------------------

Las Cruces Weed and Seed Forms Multiple Partnerships To Create Dynamic
Community*

Jeff Barnet, Reporter 

Walking past the 900 block of north Tornillo Street in Las Cruces, New
Mexico, one gets the impression that there is a celebration going on. Dozens of
children are running and playing on a colorful, new playground. Inside the
adjacent building, others debate the geometry of pool shots while adults receive
tutoring and take classes in math, English, and other subjects. Across the street,
in a cozy adobe house, police officers and city administrators share a small
space where a constant stream of children and people from the neighborhood
come and go.

Even this glimpse of the A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven is inadequate to
explain the dynamics of this lively, friendly part of town. The Weed and Seed
program which began in the Mesquite Street Historic District in February 2000
has not only taken root, it is bearing fruit. The A. Fielder Safe Haven has
become a city within a city, a community in the fullest sense of the word, a
place where neighbors are helping neighbors and everyone, even the police, are
counted as neighbors.

"There was a time people were afraid to walk through this neighborhood,
especially at night," said Melissa Molina, police officer for the city of Las
Cruces. "We got tired of arresting the same people and then seeing them back
out on the streets a week later dealing drugs or on heroin."

Molina and fellow officer Tom Schnebly first heard of the Weed and Seed
concept at a conference in California in 1999 and proposed that the district
should seek a Weed and Seed grant for the Mesquite Street neighborhood.
Two police chiefs have supported their proposal and the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) has provided the funding. Molina and Schnebly, along with
officer Lauris Gallegos, have patrolled the police substation across from the
Fielder house since 2000.

Getting Weed and Seed Involved
Initially, the Mesquite Street neighborhood was seeded with money for
community policing and neighborhood restoration. Harvey Fielder, the son of
Avron Fielder, sold his family home to the city for use as a community and
after-school care center. Other organizations soon followed to create the
synergistic, symbiotic growth characteristic of the Safe Haven community.

The county sheriff's department; New Mexico Adult and Juvenile Probation
Divisions; code enforcement office; local courts; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Border Patrol;
among others, coordinate with the city to patrol the area. The area is home to
3,400 families, approximately 75 percent of whom live below the poverty level.

"The police can take the criminal element out, but if we don't change the
dynamics of the area, the criminals will move back in," said Schnebly. "Now
they are not welcome back unless they want to get assistance, rehabilitate, get
their lives back on track. Otherwise, they have to keep on moving."

The number of domestic violence calls in the area has dropped 35 percent since
the program began. In addition, there have been no homicides and drug arrests
have increased. A key component to the increased safety in the area is that the
U.S. Attorney can give longer sentences to convicted drug and violent
offenders who commit crimes in the designated area. Saturation patrols and
increased community policing are only part of the Weed and Seed Safe Haven
phenomenon.

"This is a team effort with people from the community," added Molina. "The
emphasis is on being proactive, stopping situations before they start. We listen
to the community. We focus on education and building relationships."

The adobe house substation is part of that effort. "We know the people by
name, we know their families, they know us," said Schnebly. "As long as the
community wants us here, we'll be here."

"This is not just a crime prevention program or a youth program," said Amy
Gillihan, the city's interim coordinator for the Weed and Seed program. "It's
about community. The Safe Haven is for kids and adults, a learning environment
where they can grow together."

Gillihan said the budget for the program is $325,000 a year. (The city received
its third $225,000 DOJ award on March 7.) The Federal grant will run for 5
years, until 2005, at which time the city plans to pick up the program.
However, the city and other Weed and Seed partners will need to continue to
seek and secure new grants.

"It's encouraging that you have young people and adults comfortable with law
enforcement, having access to educational opportunities, feeling confident about
living in the neighborhood, and having a sense of ownership of the building,"
Gillihan said.

According to Gillihan, the continued success of the program depends on the
already vital cooperation between local agencies involved in the Safe Haven.
Volunteers are always welcome to help with all kinds of activities. Among the
organizations that have partnered with the Weed and Seed program are Jardin
de los Ninos, the Las Esperanzas Neighborhood Association, La Casa,
AmeriCorps, the Court Youth Center, Southwest Counseling, the Community
Action Agency, New Mexico Works, the Las Cruces public schools, Dona
Ana Branch Community College, and Families and Youth, Inc.

Educating the Community
Dona Ana Branch Community College began offering classes in July 2001 as
part of a grant written by Marjorie Burr, who saw that the college needed to
reach out to the Mesquite District. To date, 528 students have taken classes
offered free by the college, according to Luly Valencia-Glenn, Learning Center
coordinator.

"Many of the students never even had the idea that they would become
educated," said Valencia-Glenn. "We try to be flexible, caring, and open to the
needs of the community. Some of our students are scared of going back to
school. A big smile is very important here. We want to help give our students
confidence."

When the college began to recruit students for the East Side Center,
Valencia-Glenn said she and others went door to door in the community. They
recruited wherever they could, including local churches such as Our Lady of
Faith. Many East Side Center students are now enrolled at the college's main
campus.

The manner in which the college has involved multiple organizations to help its
students is typical of the mutually beneficial way in which the Safe Haven
community has developed. For example, college students who need daycare in
order to attend school can leave their children with Jardin de los Ninos.
Students and instructors from the school's building trades program partner with
the Las Esperanzas Neighborhood Association to repair roads and buildings in
the historic district. The New Mexico Department of Labor helps train student
volunteers. Students who are learning to speak English also teach their teachers
Spanish. The East Side Center is a full school-to-work service, complete with a
"Magic Closet," a collection of elegant clothes students can borrow for job
interviews.

Siria Urrutia, who arrived in Las Cruces by way of Chihuahua City and
Chicago, is one of the center's many success stories. The 25-year-old mother
of four hopes to earn her GED in August and plans to attend the college branch
to study business administration. Before she came to the center she said she
was struggling through life. Now she is encouraged about her future.

"I like the way I have been treated here," Siria said in Spanish. "The students
and the teachers treat me very well."

Through the college's coordination with Susie Cordero, administrative assistant
for the office of U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, Siria was able to gain her work
permit. "I have had a lot of opportunities opened up for me here," Siria said.

Valencia-Glenn said the center serves students from ages 17 to 80. Miguel
"Mike" Mendez, 72, enrolled at the center to complete his GED and improve
his English. Mendez completed fifth grade in Zacatecas, Mexico. Although he
has lived in the United States since 1951 and has run a successful plumbing
business, he wants to go to college.

"Without this place, I'd still be in fast food," said Angela Mendoza, an East Side
Center student turned volunteer math tutor who plans to start at the college's
main campus in August 2003. "It's near to my home, it's easier. I like to work
with people. Here there are more needs. People here work with each person,
they cover the needs they have. There are people from countries all over the
world. We are a huge family."

Making It a Family
A huge family is a good description of what is happening at Safe Haven. People
from all over the city come and go at the Fielder building every day. Children
swarm the playground, basketball courts, and pool tables. Occasionally, they
take points they have earned and cash them in at the police substation for toys
and other gifts. The substation seems like the center of a laid-back all-day
barbecue party. It is also probably the only police station with big paper
butterflies hanging from the ceiling.

After having her picture taken with her fellow police officers and the children in
the after-school program, Molina told the kids they had to clean up the building
for the special visitors they were expecting: local businessmen interested in
donating money for higher quality after-school snacks. She pointed to the
vacant lots to the south where there might soon be a college branch campus.

"We will continue to grow here," said Molina. "We will write the grants; we will
do whatever it takes. Someday we'd like to see something like this be
citywide." 

*Adapted with permission from the Bulletin, Volume 35, November 11,
[copyright] 2003 Kilpatrick Newspapers, Inc., Las Cruces, New Mexico.

----------------------------

Demolishing a Decade-Old Dilemma

Hal Johnson, Weed and Seed Coordinator
Vikki Martin, President, Ferguson Road Initiative

The Fair Park Inn in Dallas, Texas, was originally a Howard Johnson's Motel, a
place where locals went during the 1960s for dinner or ice cream. Located at
Ferguson Road and Interstate 30, the main entryway into the Ferguson Road
community in the East Dallas area, it provided an inviting welcome to the
neighborhood. Unfortunately, by the mid-1990s the inn had closed.

"The Fair Park Inn deteriorated into a vacant, gutted, unsecured, dilapidated
eyesore that was nothing more than a magnet for drug dealers, prostitutes,
vagrants, and vandals," said attorney Dolores Wolfe, President of the Enclave
at the Ash Creek Homeowners Association. "This embarrassing structure was
seen by thousands of I-30 motorists as the gateway to the lower Ferguson
Road community. Unfortunately, it served as a deterrent to those who might
otherwise want to live here, shop here, worship here, or build a business here."

Efforts to improve the property date back to 1996, when the Claremont
Addition Neighborhood Association began a campaign to have the city of
Dallas demolish the structure. The efforts were supported at the time by the
Support-Abatement-Forfeiture-Enforcement (SAFE) team of the Dallas Police
Department. The ultimate goal of this special investigative unit is to reclaim,
restore, and revitalize Dallas neighborhoods that are suffering from the adverse
impact of crime. The SAFE team had investigated the property and
recommended demolition. The matter went before the city's Urban
Rehabilitation Standards Board which, without community input and against
SAFE's recommendation, voted to rehabilitate instead of demolish the
structure.

"We were very disappointed with the board's decision," said Sgt. Mark Smith
of the police department's Interactive Community Policing unit. "The community
had been successful in having an apartment complex with ongoing city code and
criminal violations torn down earlier and felt that this was the one true solution
to the Fair Park Inn."

Although the owner rehabilitated the property to some extent, it continued to be
in violation of city codes and became a haven for drugs and prostitution. Shortly
after a murder took place at the site in October 1998, the police department
was able to have the property closed. The next 3 years saw a period of
ownership changes, failed promises, and continued deterioration.

During this time, the Ferguson Road Initiative (FRI), a community-based
organization that received a Weed and Seed grant in 2000, became involved.
FRI soon realized that the Fair Park Inn had become the rotten apple in the
Ferguson Road corridor's barrel.

"It was clear that the Fair Park Inn was the catalyst for panhandlers, large scale
graffiti, and boarded up buildings in that area, since these problems were
concentrated at the edge of the community within a few hundred yards of the
inn," said Deon Gordon, Chair of FRI's Economic Development Task Force.
Ms. Gordon has been a leader in developing FRI's strategy to bring in $50
million of investment and create 500 new jobs in the Ferguson area within the
next 5 years. "If FRI's Weed and Seed economic development strategy was to
be effective, the Fair Park Inn had to go," she said.

In October 2001, City Councilman Leo Chaney, Jr., and representatives of the
Dallas Police Department, code compliance department, city attorney's office,
and city manager's office met with representatives from the Ferguson Road
community to seek resolution to the problem of the inn. At that meeting, it was
disclosed that the city of Dallas was becoming more aggressive with code
violations and would be using Chapter 54 of Texas State Law to address the
problem. Chapter 54 is often a stronger vehicle than city ordinances for closure
and demolition of long-term nuisance properties.

At the state district court hearing, the judge called for mediation between the
city of Dallas and the Fair Park Inn's owners. The city entered into an
agreement with the owners, giving them until August 2002 to bring the building
up to city code and make it operational. When no rehabilitation took place, the
city filed a Contempt of Court motion against the owners in September 2002.

Shortly afterward, Wolfe filed a brief naming FRI and five neighborhood
organizations as Friends of the Court. This allowed FRI and others to
participate in the case. FRI President Vikki Martin submitted an affidavit
outlining the infamous history of the property and included a videotape and still
photographs showing the extent of decay, danger, graffiti, and litter at the site.
Before a hearing scheduled for October 21, 2002, the inn's owners agreed to
settle the case and demolish the structure within 60 days.

"I believe wholeheartedly that the reason the owners decided to settle out of
court is directly the result of FRI's actions, guided by Ms. Wolfe in partnership
with the city attorney's office," said Martin. "The Ferguson Road community
celebrates this victory achieved through strategic planning and preparation of
videotape, photographs, and affidavits which documented the chronic violations
at the property."

"FRI was successful because of our unwavering perseverance and positive
attitude, our ability to gain the respect and involvement of the Dallas Police
Department and city attorney's office, our strong backing from the community,
and the clout of the Weed and Seed cachet," said Rev. Hal Johnson,
Coordinator for FRI's Weed and Seed site. "This is a major milestone for
economic development for the Ferguson Road area and has changed us from
victims to victors." 

----------------------------

Atlanta Weed and Seed Slam Dunks Community Restoration 

Atlanta Weed and Seed's Pittsburgh neighborhood celebrated the dedication of
two renovated outdoor basketball courts located at W.L. Parks Middle
School. The courts had been neglected for years and were in need of a
makeover.

Atlanta Weed and Seed, the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team, and
Home Depot teamed up to renovate the courts. On March 13, the
ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the refurbished courts was attended by
various community leaders, corporate partners, NBA legends, political figures,
and students.

The Atlanta Hawks' mascots, Harry the Hawk and Sky Hawk, entertained the
crowd while the Hawks' dance team conducted a clinic for Parks Middle
School girls. The boys perfected their jump shots with help from former Harlem
Globetrotter Michael Douglas.

Besides Douglas, special guests included Hawks Coach Terry Stouts,
basketball legend Dominique Wilkens, Hawks radio voice Steve Holman, and
Antje Wortman, the widow of former Hawks Director of Scouting Gary
Wortman.

To memorialize Wortman, who died of cancer in 2000, the Atlanta Hawks
Court Renovation Program builds and renovates basketball courts in
underprivileged neighborhoods throughout Atlanta, Georgia. The Hawks and
Home Depot put down new pavement and installed new backboards, rims,
nets, and fencing. This was the third newly built or refurbished court sponsored
by the program. 

----------------------------

2003 Weed and Seed National Conference: Working Together Works

Alex Schneider, Gary Clawson, and Carol Neylan

On May 25-28, 2003, three New Mexico Weed and Seed sites
(Albuquerque/La Mesa, Albuquerque Westside, and Las Cruces), the city of
Albuquerque, and the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for New Mexico helped
the Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) host the 2003 Weed and
Seed National Conference, "Working Together Works." The conference was
attended by approximately 1,500 participants representing Weed and Seed site
coordinators, residents, community leaders, USAO personnel, Federal law
enforcement agents, State and local sworn law enforcement officers,
prosecutors, probation/parole officers, and many other partners.

The conference provided participants with training and informational tools to
help Weed and Seed sites develop and implement comprehensive multiagency
approaches to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization.
It also offered opportunities to learn best practices, share success stories, and
exchange ideas about unique programs in Weed and Seed communities
throughout the country. The conference reinforced Weed and Seed's
commitment to build and maintain effective and sustainable public/private
partnerships, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensure community safety.

Preconference learning labs offered in-depth instruction on benchmarks,
strategy development, steering committees, sustainability, developing new
leaders, and evaluation. 

This fifth national training conference also offered more than 64 workshops on
topics that included

o Preventing Gang Crimes Through Innovative Approaches.

o Community Contributions to Addressing Domestic Violence.

o The Role of Law Enforcement in Reentry.

o Project Safe Neighborhoods.

o Increasing Effectiveness by Evaluating Your Weed and Seed Strategy.

o Community Policing Strategies for Rural and Native American Communities.

o Effective Multijurisdictional Law Enforcement Coordination.

o Increasing Youth Involvement in Weed and Seed.

o Faith-Based/Community-Based Prevention Programs.

o Successful Crime Prevention for Federally Assisted Housing/ Environmental
Design.

o Improving the Physical Environment in Your Community.

Opening ceremonies featured a Memorial Day Remembrance that included the
Presentation of Colors by the Joint Color Guard of the Albuquerque Police and
Fire Departments, the Pledge of Allegiance by the Wings of Eagles Youth
Group, and a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by Officer Kevin Rowe
of the Albuquerque Police Department. Welcoming remarks were delivered by
Bob Samuels, Acting Director of EOWS. Following remarks by Principal
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Tracy A. Henke of the Office of Justice
Programs, David C. Iglesias, the U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, welcomed
attendees to Albuquerque and New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment." Final
opening remarks were given by U.S. Representative Heather Wilson of New
Mexico. 

One of the highlights of the conference was a southwestern networking fiesta
hosted by the Mayor of Albuquerque and featuring regional food, music, and
entertainment to welcome the hundreds of Weed and Seeders who gathered
under the desert sky at the city's beautiful and popular Bio Park. On Monday,
participants were given tours of the Trumball/La Mesa Weed and Seed site and
the Indian Culture Center where guests were treated to a traditional meal and a
Native American Memorial Pow Wow. Tuesday night featured a tour of the
Westside Weed and Seed neighborhood and a reception in Olde Town hosted
by the New Mexico Weed and Seed sites.

Tuesday's keynote luncheon speaker was Robert Woodson, Founder and
President of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. His common
sense approach was a big hit with the audience. 

Plenary sessions addressed many issues:

o Cheri Nolan, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs,
explained her agency's Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative.

o June Koegel, of Maine Weed and Seed and Volunteers of America,
provided the perspective of a site coordinator and service provider on the
reentry issue.

o Beverly Watts Davis, former Weed and Seed site coordinator in San
Antonio, Texas, and now Director of the Center for Substance Abuse of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke about funding for
substance abuse prevention and training resources.

o Major General Arthur T. Dean (ret.), head of the Community Anti-Drug
Coalitions of America, addressed ways of pursuing President Bush's goal of
reducing substance abuse by 5 percent a year over 5 years.

o Luis Quijas, former Chief of Police for the High Point, North Carolina, Weed
and Seed site and now Assistant Director for Law Enforcement Coordination
at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, explained how sites can ensure that
information that is important to domestic preparedness gets where it needs to
go.

o David Farley, Coordinator for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Weed and Seed,
talked about his experience in connecting site activities with domestic
preparedness.

o Beverly Alford, Director of Training for the COPS Office, talked about the
availability of training for Weed and Seed sites through the Regional Community
Policing Institutes.

o Anthony McMahon, of the Small Business Administration, explained the
resources of his agency.

o Michael Cruz, Coordinator for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Weed and Seed,
shared his experiences as a site coordinator.

o Rev. Dr. Wilson Goode enlisted support for the Amachi program to help
mentor children of incarcerated parents.

o Patrick Purtill, Director of the U.S. Department of Justice's
Faith-Based/Community-Based Task Force, explored how sites can build on
their already impressive level of cooperation with faith- and community-based
entities.

Conference participants appreciated the entertainment breaks provided by
Weed and Seed sites; the Santa Ana Dancers; and the Lumberton, North
Carolina, Police Department DARE band.

The countless details handled and efforts made by more than 100 volunteers
demonstrated that "Working Together Works." EOWS would like to thank all
of the New Mexico host committee members (see box) for helping to make the
2003 Weed and Seed National Conference an enjoyable and successful
learning experience for its participants.

New Mexico Host Committee Members

Leonard Garcia--Albuquerque Convention Center, Director

Cecilia Padilla-Quillen--Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau

Millie Santillanes--Albuquerque Cultural Affairs, Director

Gabriel Marquez--Albuquerque Fire Department

Ritchie Simplicio--Albuquerque Indian Center

Stephen L. Picou--Albuquerque International Support, Noise Program
Manager

Trish Brown--Albuquerque Police Department, Crime-Free Multi-Housing

Lt. Michael Callihan--Albuquerque Police Department, Southeast Area
Command

Lt. Mike Gonzales--Albuquerque Police Department, Southeast Area
Command

Capt. Paul Chavez--Albuquerque Police Department, Westside Area
Command

Lt. Ed Perea--Albuquerque Police Department, Westside Area Command

Deirdre Candelaria--Albuquerque Police Department, Westside Area
Command

Esther Garcia--Albuquerque Police Department, Westside Area Command

Tom Murphy--Albuquerque Transit Department

Bruce Rizzieri--Albuquerque Transit Department

Russ Blaschre--Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department

Ralph Gonzales--Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department

Donald Raley--Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department

Charmaine Gutierrez--Caesar Chavez Community Center, Director

Amy Gillihan--City of Las Cruces Weed and Seed, Coordinator

Carri Phillis--Congresswoman Wilson's Office, Constituent Liaison

Valorie Vigil--Department of Family and Community Services, Director

Tom Schnebly--Las Cruces Police Department

Deana Walter--La Mesa Community Improvement Association, Chair

Mick McMahan--La Mesa Community Improvement Association

James Lewis--Mayor's Office

Lawrence Montoya--Mayor's Office, Indian Liaison

Tina Otero--Mesa Verde Community Center, Director

Frank Del Margo--New Mexico National Guard

SGM Alex Garcia--New Mexico National Guard, Drug Demand Reduction

SSG Reyes Marquez--New Mexico National Guard, Drug Demand Reduction

Al Park--New Mexico State Representative, Bernalillo County, District 26

Shannon Robinson--New Mexico State Senator, District 17

Nancy Sanchez--Prevention Policy Board, Coordinator

Kathy Wright--State of New Mexico Second Judicial District Attorney's Office

Bill Hock--State of New Mexico Second Judicial District Attorney's Office,
Community Prosecution Coordinator

Alvorn Clifton--Trumbull Village Association, President

Don Gould--Trumbull Landlord Association

Sharleen Gould--Trumbull Landlord Association

Rosa Sena--Trumbull Landlord Association

Rumaldo Armijo--U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, Executive
Assistant U.S. Attorney

Denise Gutierrez--U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, LECC

Ron Lopez--U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, LECC

Alfred Perez--U.S. Attorney's Office

Pat Holmes--Weed and Seed, Neighborhood Project Developer

Bonnie Vallo--Weed and Seed, Coordinator

Joan Jones--Westside/South Valley Weed and Seed

Chris Sanchez--Westside/South Valley Weed and Seed

Jim Hunter--Westside Community Activist

----------------------------

2003 EOWS Coordination Honor Awards

"Weed and Seed is essentially a coordinating strategy."
--Deborah J. Daniels
Assistant Attorney General, OJP

In 2002, EOWS Acting Director Bob Samuels initiated the Coordination
Honor Awards to recognize coordination efforts in which people and
organizations are working together effectively in their Weed and Seed site. The
activities must relate to one or more of the four elements in the Weed and Seed
strategy: law enforcement, community policing,
prevention/intervention/treatment, or neighborhood restoration. This year, 10
Coordination Honor Awards were presented at the national conference. Seven
sites also received Honorable Mentions for their coordination efforts. Brief
descriptions and contact names for this year's selected programs are listed
below. Once again, congratulations to all of the award winners and to the many
organizations that were nominated this year! 

Lawrence/Methuen Community Coalition
Lawrence, Massachusetts

The Lawrence District C Weed and Seed Coalition has ensured that residents
are actively involved in improving their neighborhood. Through a series of
low-cost or no-cost activities, residents are a part of the revitalization and
economic development efforts. The partners have organized and facilitated
numerous activities, including Graffiti Wipeouts, a National Night Out to
celebrate "a night against crime" with block parties that enabled police and fire
departments and community residents to interact positively, and neighborhood
public safety and health awareness events. In addition to the residents who
participated, a number of community partners helped make these events a
success, including the Lawrence Police Department, Central Catholic High
School, Essex County District Attorney's Office, Lawrence Fire Department,
Lawrence Mayor's Office, State and local officials, Greater Lawrence Family
Health Center, Greater Lawrence Community Action Head Start Program,
YMCA of Greater Lawrence, Essex County Sheriff, U.S. Attorney's Office,
Massachusetts State Attorney General, Arlington Park Tenant Association,
Whitman Neighborhood Association, North Broadway Neighborhood
Association, Lawrence Housing Authority, and the City of Lawrence Office of
Planning and Development.

Contact: Richard Rodriguez, Rrodriguez@lawpd.com, 978-794-7900, ext.
681

Detroit Police/Wayne County Drug House Seizure and Abandoned Properties
Project 
Detroit, Michigan

Through this collaboration among the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, City
of Detroit Mayor's Office, Detroit Police Department, Weed and Seed 11th
Precinct, and area residents, the precinct's neighborhoods are being reclaimed
from slum landlords, abandoned properties, squatters, and drug dealers and
other criminals. To date, legal action has been taken on more than 140 houses
and abandoned properties in the target area. Seized properties are cleaned up,
secured, and put up for auction so community partners can bid on them and to
help people become homeowners. Sales of these properties have generated
$275,000.

Contact: Sojourner Jones, weedandseed11@aol.com, 313-891-6818

"God's Gym" Safe Haven, Calvary Tabernacle Church
Corpus Christi, Texas

Recognizing the need for change in the community, Pastor Mike Lohman of the
Calvary Tabernacle Church, Weed and Seed, and other partners created
"God's Gym," where services address almost every risk factor identified in the
community. The result has been a place where people can feel safe, develop a
positive attitude, and have their dreams encouraged. God's Gym provides
residents with free opportunities to develop body, mind, and soul through
sports, resources, and programs and demonstrates how faith-based
organizations and governments can work together to improve local
communities. Partners include the U.S. Attorney's Office, Corpus Christi Weed
and Seed, National Urban Technology, Salvation Army, Corpus Christi ISD,
Parks and Recreation, Christian Credit Counseling, Workforce Network,
Fighting to Rid Gangs, Corpus Christi Police Department, Corpus Christi
Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, and the Nueces County Sheriff's
Office. 

Contact: Harold Smith, harolds@cctexas.com, 361-880-3419

West Newlove Neighborhood Domestic Violence Solutions Project
Santa Maria, California

This collaboration involves the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD),
Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Maria
Valley Youth and Family Center. It was formed as a result of residents'
requests for family counseling and domestic violence prevention and
intervention programs. Partners provide community outreach, parent education
and support, and domestic violence counseling and services. This includes
men's and women's support groups, with the women's group facilitated by a
community resident trained in domestic violence counseling. With additional
funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against
Women, SMPD has hired two domestic violence investigators, Domestic
Violence Solutions has hired two advocates, and the Legal Aid Foundation of
Santa Barbara County now has a full-time attorney focusing on legal issues
involving domestic violence. Reporting of domestic violence has increased and,
since December 2002, 10 victims have been provided with support and legal
assistance. Additional partners include the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Legal
Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County, and CARES, Inc.  

Contact: Ginnie Sterling, gsterling@ci-santa-maria.ca.us, 805-925-0951, ext.
368

Project Fresh Start, Winston-Salem Weed and Seed 
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Project Fresh Start is a nontraditional community employment initiative that
provides job training and placement for young adult offenders or potential
offenders in Weed and Seed neighborhoods. This 12-week coordinated job
program offers life skills, job readiness preparation, training and vocational
skills, and employer recruitment and job placement, along with drug screening
and access to substance abuse and mental health treatment. The project's goal
is to build safer communities by providing permanent jobs for its participants to
minimize the likelihood of repeat or new criminal activity in neighborhoods with
high numbers of distress indicators. Partners include the U.S. Attorney's Office,
Weed and Seed, VisionsWork Youth Services, Winston-Salem Urban League,
Winston-Salem Police Department, Department of Community Corrections,
Workforce Development, Winston-Salem Service Corps, and the Visions
Streetworker Program.  

Contact: Alvin Atkinson, atkinsona@wssu.edu, 336-750-3470

Coordinated Law Enforcement Team, St. Louis Weeding Committee
St. Louis, Missouri 

Residents and Weed and Seed police officers partner to identify and address
neighborhood "hotspots," and officers use information provided by residents to
make successful arrests. The Coordinated Law Enforcement Team educates
citizens and coordinates law enforcement efforts in various settings to find the
best means of Federal, State, and local prosecution available in individual
cases. Information from residents and new crime mapping tools have provided
the quantitative and qualitative information to target neighborhood areas most
affected by criminal and nuisance behavior. Partners include the U.S. Attorney
of Eastern Missouri, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis
Circuit Attorney's Office and Counselor's Office, St. Louis City Neighborhood
Stabilization Office, and Weed and Seed. 

Contact: Kim Norman, kim.norman@usdoj.gov, 314-539-2773

"Stop Hatin' Start Celebratin'" Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Men and Boy's
Non-Violence Breakfast
Indianapolis, Indiana

The breakfast was first held in 1992 to address violence with the "boyz," and
has since been able to share with men of the community the emotional, spiritual,
and financial aspects of gun violence. An area once plagued by gunshots and
visible drug dealing has started to come back, block by block, through
community policing and crime reporting as residents seek to reduce violence.
More than 165 youth have pledged to abstain from gun violence. Partners
include the Mayor of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Police Department, Weed and
Seed Safe Havens, Marion County Prosecutor's Office, Westside Community
Ministries, Project Safe Neighborhoods, U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Army,
Park Rangers, Asante Children's Theater, Marion County Health Department,
Indianapolis Housing Agency, National City Bank, Westside Concerned Dads,
Westside Development Corporation, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing
Partnership, and the 91st Street Christian Church.  

Contact: Renita Minor, indywesco@aol.com, 317-327-7902

Youngstown Weed and Seed Adult Parole Authority Project
Youngstown, Ohio

This partnership between the Youngstown Police Department, Adult Parole
Authority, Community Corrections Association, Weed and Seed block
watches, and Weed and Seed Steering Committee works to reduce the
recidivism rate in the target area, enhance reentry programs for parolees, and
provide neighborhood restoration through neighborhood cleanups and
beautification projects. Since the project began 3 years ago, there has been a
dramatic decrease in reported crackhouses and homicides, rapes, robberies,
and other crimes. 

Contact: Lt. Ron Foley, LTYPD@aol.com, 330-742-8238

Operation Counter-Sign 
Orange Township, New Jersey 

Operation Counter-Sign is a strategic initiative to interdict gang activity through
intelligence gathering and networking, enforcement, and prevention. School
resource officers addressed gang recruitment and activity in and around
schools, and gang awareness seminars have increased community awareness.
Targeting higher ranking members of gangs and organized crime units has
resulted in the arrest of six gang members who await trial on Federal narcotics
charges and the disruption of an interstate weapons trafficking operation.
Coordination partners include the U.S. Attorney's Office; Drug Enforcement
Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Postal Inspectors; New Jersey State Police;
New Jersey Department of Corrections; New Jersey Department of Parole;
Division of Criminal Justice; Essex County Prosecutor's Office; East Orange
Police Department; West Orange Police Department; and the Newark Police
Department. 

Contact: Valerie Jackson, weedseed@aol.com, 973-266-4111, ext. 5451

Winwood Community Cleanup
Seminole County, Florida

This was a comprehensive effort to create a cleaner, safer neighborhood using
the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, Code Enforcement, Roads Department,
Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, and East Altamonte community resources.
Ninety-five tons of unwanted refuse was removed from residents' property to
maintain easements and right-of-ways, junk vehicles were tagged, homeowners
with inadequate address identification were helped to properly identify their
property, elderly and special needs residents eligible for Meals on Wheels were
identified, and crime prevention and community resources were provided. 

Contact: Michael Robbins, michael_robbins@seminolesheriff.org, 407-665-
6576

2003 Honorable Mentions for Coordination 

Workforce Development Program (Aurora, Colorado) 
Contact: Dawn Barrett, dbarrett@ci.aurora.co.us, 303-739-7929 

Atlantic City Weed and Seed Safe Haven Police Substation Rehab Project
(Atlantic City, New Jersey)
Contact: Mary Hunt, mary.hunt@atlanticare.org, 609-407-7658 

Waipahu Juvenile Task Force (Waipahu, Hawaii) 
Contact: Maile Kanemaru, maile@auw.org, 808-543-2216

Weed and Seed Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build a Home Project (Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma)
Contact: Ed Martin, emartin825@aol.com, 405-297-3635

East Point Police Department Youth Alternative Intervention Program (East
Point, Georgia) 
Contact: Everlean Merritt, emerritt@eastpoint.org, 404-765-1146

Weed and Seed Steering Committee Community Oriented Policing
Subcommittee (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Contact: Franklin Simpson, jsimpson@ci.las-vegas.nv.us, 702-229-2330

Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Project (Portland, Oregon) 
Contact: Sharon White, WeedSeed@spiritone.com, 503-988-6127, ext. 228

The 2003 Weed and Seed National Poster Contest Winners

In conjunction with the Weed and Seed 2003 National Conference, "Working
Together Works," the Executive Office for Weed and Seed sponsored a
National Poster Contest that invited youth to draw a picture that embodied the
theme "How Weed and Seed Has Changed My Neighborhood."

Entries depicted different visions of Weed and Seed, and the winners were
selected on the basis of colorful artistry, artistic talent, and originality. Copies of
the winning posters were displayed in the exhibit hall during the national
conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the winners were recognized
during the plenary session on Monday, May 26, 2003.

Entries were grouped into four categories based on the entrant's age/grade. The
2003 National Poster Contest winners are as follows:

Category I: Katee Espericueta, an 8-year-old, second grader, from Richard E.
Miller Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona, won for her colorful drawing of
a revitalized drug house. It depicts weeding and seeding in a community that
changed the drug house into a welcoming home and safe place in which to live.

Category II: Sylvia Larsen, an 11-year-old, fifth grader from Creekside Park
Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska, won for her crayon drawing of
people working together, which depicts community involvement. According to
Sylvia, her picture represents "the many different people who are blessed to
share in being Americans and that this blessing requires that we all be willing to
support and protect America."

Category III: Articia Taylor, a 13-year-old, seventh grader from the Walter L.
Parks Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia, won for her drawing of a flower,
depicting how Weed and Seed has changed her neighborhood. In describing
her picture, Articia explained that the roots of evil and bad things, represented
by words associated with negative and bad elements in her community, are
trying to kill the flower, represented by a beautiful yellow flower surrounded by
positive and good words. These words represent the good things Atlanta Weed
and Seed has planted and implemented in her neighborhood. The beautiful
yellow flower prevails over the weeds.

Category IV: Orrice Magee, a 15-year-old, 12th grader from Inkster High
School in Inkster, Michigan, won for his artwork depicting his belief that Weed
and Seed strives for excellence in the community. Orrice's drawing shows
Weed and Seed working to minimize violence and drugs by sponsoring
programs that promote positive life choices.

Congratulations to the winners! Each received a personal computer loaded with
education software and a printer and was presented an award at the national
conference.

----------------------------

Lents/Brentwood-Darlington Weed and Seed Partners Receive Chief's Forum
Awards

Sharon White, Weed and Seed Coordinator

Residents, community members, businesses, and organizations serving Lents
and the surrounding communities have a reason to celebrate--one organization
and one individual were recognized with a Chief's Forum Award at a May 19
ceremony. The Chief's Forum, a policy advisory group to the Portland
(Oregon) Police Bureau's Chief of Police, recognizes citizens and bureau
members for distinguishing achievements in community policing and community
building.

Larry Graham, Senior Neighborhood Officer with the Portland Police Bureau,
received a Certificate of Appreciation for developing positive relationships with
community members, responding to the concerns of citizens and service
providers, and collaborating on crime prevention issues. Officer Graham is
involved in multiple community policing activities in Lents and is a positive
partner in the Lents/Brentwood-Darlington Weed and Seed strategy to weed
out gangs, drugs, and violence. His general demeanor reflects kindness and an
intention to help. He works to develop creative solutions and is a team player
interested in solving community safety issues. 

The Wattles Boys & Girls Club Keystone Warriors were recognized at the
same ceremony with a Youth Recognition Certificate. This teen club has taken
on volunteer, neighborhood restoration, and leadership responsibilities that have
enhanced their neighborhood and strengthened their community. In June 2002,
the Keystone Warriors accepted the challenge of working with local police
officers and community residents to paint a home owned by a low-income,
elderly, handicapped individual. The project included 6 hours of removing old
paint, taping windows, and repainting the house. This project to work with local
police officers and community members is one example of the extraordinary
work the youth engage in every day as members of the Keystone Warriors.

For more information, contact Sharon White, Weed and Seed Coordinator, at
503-988-6127, ext. 228.

----------------------------

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Weed and Seed is updating its subscription list. To ensure that you continue to
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----------------------------

What's the best way to have your site featured in In-Sites? 

Submit a story to In-Sites, and our staff will help you develop and polish the
text! Please e-mail draft text to neylanc@ojp.usdoj.gov or submit it on disk.
Send your disk and/or original photos via Federal Express. 
Please include captions with your photos and send them to:

In-Sites
Attention: Carol Neylan
Executive Office for Weed and Seed
810 Seventh Street NW., Room 6142
Washington, DC 20001

Your photos will be returned if you include a self-addressed envelope. Visit
www.usdoj.gov/eows/insites.htm for more information on submitting your story
to us. What's happening in your neighborhood? 
We look forward to hearing from you! --Carol Neylan

-------------------

Correction
In the spring 2003 issue of In-Sites, the gentleman appearing in the photo of the
Bread & Butter Caf‚ (p. 15) was not Michael Wilson but Keith Bacon.barrel.