City To Host Ceasefire Community Meeting

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling joins Flint Area Congregations Together
To Host Ceasefire Community Meeting
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and Flint Area Congregations Together (FACT) will host a Ceasefire community meeting. This free community event will be held Tuesday July 13, 2010 at 6:00pm at First Presbyterian Church, 746 South Saginaw Street.
Chief Jim Fealy of the High Point, North Carolina Police Department will be the featured speaker.

Chief Fealy will discuss how the Ceasefire Public Safety initiative helped turn his city around. The City of High Point implemented the Ceasefire model in 1997 and has reported a more than 50 percent reduction in crime in their community.

The Flint Ceasefire public safety initiative is built on the foundation of strong enforcement coupled with coordinated opportunities for rehabilitation for some offenders. Flint Ceasefire relies on strong partnerships among law enforcement, social service providers, government, faith leaders and the community. During the Ceasefire community meeting residents will learn how they can join with this coalition to help make Flint safer.

The Flint Ceasefire initiative is comprised of several key components including: community mobilization, public education, data driven enforcement, selection of targeted offenders and youth outreach and violence interruption. The program draws on several models including High Point, NC Drug Market Intervention (DMI) and the Chicago Ceasefire Initiative.

The City of Flint has requested more than $2.5M in federal grants for the implementation of this program. Mayor Dayne Walling says with or without the federal grant dollars the city is committed to implementing Ceasefire. "The residents of this community have told me that public safety is their top priority. The police chief and I are committed to an effective crime reduction strategy," said Mayor Walling. The Ceasefire Public Safety model has been effective in other cities; I believe it can be effective in our community too."