Charlotte City Council
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary January 25, 2007
COMMITTEE AGENDA TOPICS
I.
Subject:
Mayor’s Youth Employment Program
Action:
The Committee received information on the program in conjunction with the
Homicide Task Force recommendation to create additional jobs for youth
Staff Resource: Alicia Jolla, Brad Richardson
II.
Subject:
Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance
Action:
The Committee received information on the program in conjunction with the
Homicide Task Force recommendation to expand mentoring programs for young
people
Staff Resource: Dennis Marstall
III.
Subject:
Mounted Patrol Units
Action:
The Committee received an update on the research into the feasibility of a mounted
patrol unit for CMPD, including an update on the search for a site for a horse barn
Staff Resource: Keith Parker, Torry Lynn Revels, Laura Lemmond
COMMITTEE INFORMATION
Present:
Absent:
Time:
Council members Turner, Kinsey, Dulin, and Foxx
Council member Mitchell
12:10-1:58 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS
1.
2.
3.
Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (Power Point)
Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance (Power Point)
Mounted Patrol Unit Feasibility Analysis Update (Power Point)
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for January 25, 2007
Page 2
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS
I.
Subject:
Mayor’s Youth Employment Program
Committee Discussion:
Alicia Jolla from the Economic Development Department made a presentation on the
Mayor’s Youth Employment Program which places youth in public/private sector jobs.
The youth, ages 16-18, are participants in Right Moves for Youth and the Steele Creek
Youth Network programs that identify at-risk youth. In 2006, there were 42 youth hired
to work in 14 city or county departments and three private sector companies. 90% of the
youth remained in the program through the summer. Feedback from the youth was
generally positive although some felt that there was not enough work or hours and that
they were not perceived as “real” employees. Most of the employers were also positive,
saying the interns exceeded their expectations. Ms. Jolla shared the story of a young
person who became motivated by working with Parks and Recreation in the summer of
2006.
In 2007, the program will be aggressively marketed with a goal of generating 40 private
sector jobs along with an additional 40 in the public sector. The goal is to have 80 youth
employed in the summer of 2007, a 100% increase over 2006. There will also be
additional training on dress codes and other professionalism issues. An expansion model
will also be developed for the program, expanding the program incrementally and using
the faith community as one of the additional resources. Fighting Back may also be a
source for additional participants. Council member Dulin suggested trying to place some
of the youth in high end construction projects; former Council member Ron Leeper
would be a good resource. He also suggested using the participant list from the African
American Agenda when identifying potential program participants.
Question/Answer:
Dulin:
What was the salary for the participants?
Jolla:
$7.00 per hour, will be increase to $8.00 in 2007
Turner:
Jolla:
Can participants come back a second year? What are other eliminators?
Last year the program was for youth ages 16-21; this year it will be for
youth ages 16-18; the youth must be members of Right Moves for Youth
or the Steele Creek Youth Network; they can be eliminated for a positive
drug test; youth with prior criminal convictions are considered on a case
by case basis.
Dulin:
Jolla:
What is the expense to the city for this program?
The initial expense was $200,000, including a staff person. The program
now has an $80,000 budget.
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for January 25, 2007
Page 3
II.
Subject:
Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance
Committee Discussion:
Dennis Marstall made a presentation on the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance which was
created in 1995 after the shooting of CMPD Officer Gene Griffin by three young people.
The Mayor created the alliance to provide positive role models. He initially worked with
Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to create the program.
The program is an alliance of non-profit and faith based groups that work together to
provide mentoring resources for youth. The program receives staff support from the
Mayor’s Office and Neighborhood Development and is funded by the City, grants, and
donations. There are 52 organizations that are members of the alliance along with a
number of corporations. About 4,000 to 5,000 youth per year are matched with mentors.
Council member Foxx is concerned because there are many more young people who need
mentors. He would like to see a town hall meeting with youth which would allow public
officials to interface with youth and listen to their issues. Council member Dulin asked if
the 2002 Catalogue of Needs in which agencies articulated the need for mentors was
updated.
Willie Ratchford spoke on behalf of the Homicide Task Force and attributed his own
success to the mentors who helped him as he grew up in Earle Village. He said that
female heads of households cannot teach a young male how to be a man and that we
need to recruit more African-American males to mentor African-American youth. Norris
Anderson also spoke on behalf of the task force and said the community is failing its
Youth. He questioned whether we are doing enough.
Council member Turner says we need some action or five years from now we will be
talking about this same subject. He said that people can change lives and don’t have to
be the same race to positively impact a young person. He also felt that a public forum
would not be attended by the people who most needed to be there.
III.
Subject:
Mounted Patrol
Committee Discussion:
Keith Parker gave the Committee an update on the feasibility study for mounted patrol.
The research is predicated on a unit that would have seven officers and one sergeant and
11 horses (including three for reserve). Estimated start-up costs are between 1.1to 1.5
million dollars (not including a facility for the horses) with ongoing operating costs
between $823,397 to $981,376 (not including a facility). The business community
supports the concept for the unit. The Police Foundation is interested in trying to raise
funds but would not cover any of the staffing costs.
Possible City owned sites for the facility include the airport, a site in the Greenville
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for January 25, 2007
Page 4
community and the Police Academy. The airport site is not promising due to FAA
regulations and future plans for the land. There are issues with the Greenville site due to
a creek on the property; making that site useable would create additional costs. It would
also add a year to the timetable to work with the neighborhood to get input and
acceptance for the facility. It would take an additional 60 days to get all the figures on
the Greeneville site, eliminating the mounted patrol unit from consideration in this year’s
budget. The academy site is the most promising, it is next to the driving rage and not
included in expansion plans for the Academy. It is anticipated that a mounted patrol unit
would not become operational until the first or second quarter of 2009. The timeline is
driven by police recruit schools, the identification of a site for the horse barn and the
subsequent design and construction of the facility.
There was some discussion of the next steps in this process including how much more
work should be done on the Greenville site before testing the idea with the neighborhood.
The Committee would report back to Council and ask permission to talk to the
neighborhood. The Committee would also like input from Council member Mitchell
(who was absent) since he represents the Greenville neighborhood. The Committee
wants to see a package comparing the Greenville and Academy sites.
Council member Turner reiterated that, when he proposed that staff look at the
feasibility of a mounted patrol unit, that it was not his intent that CMPD give up
something to fund the unit. The unit would be over and above CMPD’s currently
allocated resources.
Question/Answer:
Kinsey:
Parker:
Can we afford this?
Staff is conducting the research at the request of Council; staff will
ask the Committee for a recommendation in the next month or two;
there has not been a quorum at any of the committee meetings
where this has been discussed.
Dulin:
Parker:
Who has staff talked to in the business community?
Center City Partners, Convention and Visitors Authority,
Hotel/Motel Association, Charlotte Bobcats, Chamber
Dulin:
Has CMPD identified anything it is willing to do without to fund
this?
There is nothing we can do without or stop doing to fund this.
There is community support for it in the center city and some
officers are enthusiastic about it.
Chief Stephens:
Turner:
Would it be possible for Council to front the money for the
mounted unit to cut down the time for implementation but continue
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for January 25, 2007
Page 5
Pam Syfert:
to raise funds?
It would be difficult to raise money if the City paid the initial cost
of the unit; providing those funds would reduce the motivation for
potential donors.
The Committee decided to revert to its original meeting schedule of one meeting per
month to be held on the 4th Thursday of the month at noon. Each of those meetings will
now contain a discussion of one of the Homicide Task Force recommendations. Other
pending topics for the Committee include continued discussion of mounted patrol, a
potential hotel/motel ordinance and domestic violence.