By Laura DeKoven Waxman
July 28, 2008

Mayors and police chiefs from across the country will gather at the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia August 5 and 6 at a Mayors’ Action Forum on Crime – the first of the five Mayors’ Action Forums that Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is convening to forge an action agenda for cities and metro areas for presentation to the next President of the United States.

In Philadelphia, Diaz and host Mayor Michael Nutter will work with mayors and police chiefs from cities across the nation to develop a detailed anti-crime agenda – an agenda that will return tax dollars to America’s cities to produce a new national partnership against crime and violence. The meeting is structured to provide an open discussion in which the mayors and chiefs will identify key crime problems in cities, what cities are doing or need to do to address them, and what federal action is needed.

Key issues identified during preliminary sessions held during the annual meeting in Miami were gun safety, especially the increasing use of assault weapons by criminals; youth violence; and the importance of reinvigorating the COPS program and other funding sources which will help us increase the number of police officers in local departments and provide them the equipment and technology they need.

Miami Police Chief John Timoney, President of the Police Executive Research Forum; Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowski, President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey will all participate in the session.

All member mayors and their police chiefs are invited to attend. There will be a reception August 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. On August 6, there will be a working session from 8:00 AM until noon, followed by a press conference and lunch. Mayors and police chiefs may register for the meeting online at usmayors.org/crimeforum08.