--Moving into and operationalizing a new facility which clearly has given us greater efficiency and effectiveness

--Our work with the Children of Prisoners initiative has paid off in Memphis' selection as a national demonstration city for such efforts and the year long grant is concluding with a robust system in place now for this population which simply was not cohesive before our efforts

--Our work examining the relationships between the size of the young male population and crime trends at the request of Mr. Frederick Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer for FDX, played a formidable role in furthering strengthening our ongoing partnership with FDX

--Our work on alternatives to traditional prostitution suppression strategies has laid the groundwork for the adoption of a first-ever Nashville-model rehabilitation program here in Memphis

--The MSCC-inspired Drug Court has reduced the recidivism rate of its participants from 80% to 20%

--We have in place an original research initiative with the Memphis Police Department that should reveal for the first time who make the most successful police officers and how to successfully recruit them as candidates

--Actively sought out by the University Of Memphis Board Of Visitors, the MSCC was asked to assess crime and fear in the neighborhoods contiguous to the campus as part of a larger and critical revitalization effort

--Our three years of successful work with the anti-sexual assault initiative known as Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiatives (SACSI), led first by the US Attorney and then by the Crime Commission, is reflected in the city's 40+% reduction in sexual assaults over the last year

--The production of a historic and much-awaited best practice inquiry on law enforcement consolidation in Memphis and Shelby County included a blueprint for action that was unanimously endorsed without change by both the sheriff and the outgoing/then incoming police director, and is currently being implemented with the merger of ten law enforcement functions

--A two year effort with the Center City Commission and downtown stakeholders produced an MSCC-led examination of public safety in the downtown entertainment district and an architectural scheme for changes, improvements and additions; embraced by all of its constituents and reflected most visibly in the unprecedented dedication of 72 police officers and sheriff's officers downtown working in partnership, one veteran downtown Beale Street Merchants' business leader characterized our work as "the best work (he) has seen downtown--we (the MSCC-led group) worked on this and then it actually happened--very unusual for Memphis"

 

--The advocacy of the Crime Commission with both the Memphis Police Department and the Sheriff's Office led to their respective commitments to the national law enforcement accreditation process, the single most powerful tool that a new CEO can wield to change a law enforcement organization's culture

---The MSCC led the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant process for two consecutive years and successfully navigated the political firestorms that come with the authority to allocate $3+M in law enforcement funds; the process under our leadership was hailed as of unprecedented value and above the usual political fray

--The MSCC emerged as a local authority in the arena of homeland security and community preparedness, a heretofore unanticipated role for the Crime Commission

--Newly-elected Sheriff Mark Luttrell selected the MSCC to lead his transition team, breaking all of the rules of tradition, and invested in the Commission the authority to screen prospective candidates for senior policy positions, restructure his organizational configuration and author a roadmap for change for the agency

--The MSCC is enjoying a new level of exposure both at the Commercial Appeal and on local television affiliates with near weekly articles or stories about our work

--Our web site continues to flourish and readership, reflecting a near 20% increase this year over last year

--In 2002 the MSCC was the recipient of the largest gift in its six year history:  a $750K grant from the Plough Foundation for our research and youth development functions and the MSCC/University of Memphis shared Center for Community Criminology and Research

--At the request of the Hyde Foundation, we examined the relationships between school hours and the rate of juvenile crime/victimization/learning and prompted the first serious internal assessment by the Memphis City Schools of their classroom hours and the relationship to the learning environment

 

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