HarryHurley.com
BREAKING
NEWS
ATLANTIC CITY
MAYOR
LORENZO
LANGFORD
UNVEILS
MAJOR
PUBLIC SAFETY
INITIATIVE
Atlantic City
Press (Derek Harper) was on hand to cover the news conference ...
HarryHurley.com/Hurley in the Morning in attendance
...
News Channel
40 NBC advised Mayor Langford that "couldn't send a crew to cover the news
conference ... But, send us a press release and we'll consider
it."
This is
troubling .... This is the sitting Mayor of Atlantic City, announcing a major,
7-point plan to combat violence ... The formation of a Special Tactical Unit ...
And yet TV 40 couldn't cover?
Yet,
this is the same TV 40 that went holding hands with Craig Callaway when Callaway
ambushed Langford's office unannounced ... Something is wrong here ...
Here is Mayor
Langford's 7-point plan as follows:
April 19,
2005
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: Mayor Lorenzo
Langford
(609)
347-5400
MAYOR LORENZO
LANGFORD PROPOSES
SEVEN (7) POINT
PLAN TO
COMBAT
VIOLENCE IN
ATLANTIC CITY
ATLANTIC CITY - In an
effort to address crime and particularly to be more proactive in
combating the increase of violence in our City, I have crafted a seven
point plan of attack to address the problems. I propose the
following:
1. According to the recently released
Mitchell & Titus operational study, there are 51 positions in the Police
Department that could be civilianized. According Chief Snellbaker,
there are 19. Thereore, I have included monies in this year's budget to hire 19
civilians so that the same number of Police Officers can be moved from behind a
desk and put on the street. I am proposing that a "Special Tactical Unit" be
created with these 19 officers. This Youth Violence Task Force would be
specifically assigned to problem areas such as Stanley Holmes Village and the
Marina District.
2. There is money in this year's budget
to hire 10 Police Officers. I am calling on City Council to amend the budget to
increase the number to 15.
3. We have also included money in the
budget to begin a new Police Assistant Class of 20 recruits who will be ready to
hit the streets in a year as full fledged Police Officers. This would be
Atlantic City's structured "feeder program" to always have new recruits ready to
fill-in the ranks when and where needed. Additionally, with an always unknown
number of officers retiring and/or out with illness or injury, this program will
address issues relating to turnover and ready manpower will always be
available.
4. We will be joining AtlantiCare, the
Hispanic Alliance, and the NAACP in launching a gun "buy back" program in an
attempt to get guns off of our streets.
5. The Langford Administration will
send an Ordinance to City Council endorsing the passage of New Jersey
Senate Bill S-155. This bill authorizes municipalities to enact an Ordinance
making it unlawful for a juvenile under 18 years of age to be in a public place
during the hours when the juvenile is required to be in school, unless
accompanied by a parent or guardian, or is carrying written permission from
the juvenile's educational authority allowing the juvenile to be in a public
place.
6. We will call upon the State
Legislature to push for stiffer mandatory gun possession sentencing.
Additionally, we will push for stiffer minimum mandatory sentencing for the
illegal sale of handguns.
7. We will implement a 311 System to
relieve 911 of non-emergency calls that can be handled by other offices in City
Hall. This will aide in greater overall efficiency and response
time.
"The time for real and meaningful
action is now," said Mayor Lorenzo Langford. "A status quo style of
leadership will no longer suffice, nor will it properly address the many public
safety challenges that we currently face. Our very way of life is threatened on
a daily basis, if we do not relentlessly pursue a new course action, which
readily demonstrates not only to our valued citizens, but also to perpetrators,
that we have a true sense of urgency to do something about the escalating
violence in our City," said Mayor Langford.
"My seven point plan, coupled with
the new Youth Violence Task Force and highly trained and visible police presence
in our problem areas, will pay off with near immediate results being achieved,"
said Langford.
