By Kathy Amoroso
April 11, 2005

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Conference President Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic are conducting a National Summit on Gangs to take place in Washington (DC) at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill April 26 through 27.

This summit will bring together mayors and police chiefs from across the country to discuss gang intervention and gang violence prevention efforts in their cities, and provide an opportunity for the sharing of ideas regarding the best ways to target law enforcement efforts at gangs who recruit at-risk youth in America.

Also participating will be Conference Vice President Long Beach (CA) Mayor Beverly O'Neill, former Conference President Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chair of the Criminal and Social Justice Committee Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, and Chair of the Mayors and Police Chiefs Task Force Gary (IN) Mayor Scott King.

First Lady Laura Bush has been invited to address the session to discuss her national initiative to keep young boys out of gangs; and Senator Dianne Feinstein has been asked to participate to outline the specifics of her legislation to combat gang violence, the Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act.

Mayors and police chiefs are urged to attend this one-day interactive National Summit on Gangs, which will feature Scott Decker of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri — St. Louis as the keynote speaker, on the New Face of Gangs in America. Additionally, the summit will feature sessions on Gangs and the Internet: Targeting America's Youth; Effective Gang Intervention Models: Keeping Kids out of Gangs; Gang Violence Prevention and Intervention Strategies; Building or Enhancing Collaborative Partnerships/Regional Gang Prevention Efforts; and Suburban Encroachment: The Broad Reach of Gang Activity.

The meeting is being sponsored by the Conference's Mayors Institute on Community Policing and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) of the U.S. Department of Justice.

For questions regarding the summit, or to receive a draft agenda and registration form, contact Kathy Amoroso on the Conference staff at 202-861-6723, or Jocelyn Bogen at 202-861-6727.