[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 130 (Friday, September 16, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           JACKSON CITIZENS WORKING TOGETHER TO REDUCE CRIME

                                 ______


                          HON. JOHN S. TANNER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 16, 1994

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the citizens 
of Jackson, TN for their efforts to curb the rising crime rate in their 
city. By working together during the past year they have reversed the 
upward spiral of crime in Jackson and started taking back their city 
from the few who were making it unpleasant for the many.
  In May 1993, the city of Jackson hosted a crime summit of local 
officials and citizens to gather information as to how the rising tide 
of criminal activity could be halted in their community by instituting 
a new concept of community oriented policing. With the induction of 
this new procedure, police officers changed the way they performed 
their duties with more emphasis on community service and interaction 
with the residents.
  A leadership council was formed with members of the police 
department, and statistical reports over the last year have shown that 
every category of crime has been reduced significantly.
  A few weeks after the formation of the leadership council last 
summer, members of the Boys and Girls Clubs asked if some members of 
the council would join them in a march through a housing complex where 
these young people had observed drug dealing in progress. They wanted 
to protest this activity and bring it to the attention of all the 
residents in the city of Jackson. A march was organized into the 
Allentown Heights housing complex. Since that initial march, a crime 
march has been held every Friday afternoon all through the last year.
  The city of Jackson has reaped the benefits of this community wide 
effort that has resulted in an overall reconstruction of the way in 
which police and citizens work together. Mayor Charles Farmer and 
Police Chief Richard Staples have led the way in this blending of 
community participation with law enforcement agencies that has resulted 
in making Jackson, TN a safer place to live and raise a family.
  Throughout the last year many folks have given of their time on 
Friday afternoon to participate in these community marches. As the 1 
year anniversary of this innovative program is marked on Friday, 
September 16, 1994, I want to offer it up to others around the country 
as an example of what people can do when they are determined to improve 
their neighborhoods and to make their lives better.

                          ____________________