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Conference Presses Crime Fight In Black Communities

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

TAMPA - More than 1,200 people, including scores of teenagers from across the state, are in downtown Tampa for the 23rd National Conference on Preventing Crime in the Black Community.

Opening remarks were delivered this morning in the cavernous grand ballroom of the Tampa Marriott Waterside. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee, whose agency is hosting the event for the second time in three years, said plenty of innovative ideas will be tossed around during the conference.

"There are a lot of law enforcement officers and administrators in the audience here today," the sheriff said. They know of various ways to fight crime, he said. "You can lock everybody up, but there are better ways.

"I like to get in the front end of it, get to the kids when they first start having problems," he said.

He said crime prevention programs and county run programs for youths are starting to chip away at crime in black communities.

We need more Boys & Girls Clubs and crime prevention programs, he said. "Money spent on those programs is money better spent than locking people up."

Law enforcement agencies everywhere are taking a hit from the sagging economy, he said. Many are cutting crime prevention programs, but a conference like this can make a strong statement in support of the programs, he said.

Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean also welcomed the throng and said discussions can lead to solutions.

"I am delighted to have this conference here," she said before offering her opening remarks.

She said that crime is a problem for black communities. "We need o be cognizant of that," she said.

"Even if one little idea comes out of this conference, it helps," she said. "We may not solve the problem, but we will make people think about it."

Also present are 108 teenagers from South Florida, brought here by the Urban League of Palm Beach County.

The Rev. Henry Fuse brought the teens, all dressed in black T-shirts with "Black on Black Crime" emblazoned on the front around a drawing of a handgun with a slash through it.

Teenagers need more exposure to the good side of law enforcement, he said. That alone can put a dent in crime.

He touted crime prevention programs and efforts to teach people how not to become a victim.

He said that for each of the past five years, he has brought 108 teenagers to the conference.

Hillsborough Deputy C.M. Devage, who works in crime prevention, coordinated the event. She said representatives from as far away as Texas and Virginia are here, along with a handful of law enforcement officials from Jamaica.

The conference continues through the weekend, and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is scheduled to speak today.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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