Jackson Free Press

As the watchdog group SafeCity closes today citing financial issues, the police advocacy group Jackson Police Foundation, Inc., is contemplating a more active role in the city.

SafeCity, formerly The Metro Crime Commission, began in 2003 to address public safety concerns in Jackson. Board of Trustees Chairman Coyt Bailey announced in a March 30 press release that the organization was closing its doors due to the "state of the economy."

"Given the ... difficult fiscal climate in which so many non-profits are operating, after great deliberation, the board made the difficult decision to cease operations," Bailey stated, while adding that the organization "was not meant to live on in perpetuity."

The Jackson Police Foundation, created in 2000, raises money for the Jackson Police Department for one-time purchases. The Foundation financed the purchase of several noise-decibel readers last year for the police department to enforce noise pollution. The Foundation also regularly helps fund training at the police academy, and it recently orchestrated an agreement with the Baptist Medical Center and St. Dominic Hospital to perform physicals on new police recruits, saving the Jackson Police Department $100,000, Foundation President Susan Lunardini said.

"It was definitely a surprise for us," Lunardini said. "Because there were two police advocate organizations, SafeCity and the Foundation, we chose different areas to work in. SafeCity was always better funded. They had five employees at one time, while we've never had an employee. So we stayed out of politics and just worked to raise money."
But the departure of SafeCity leaves a hole that Lunardini said the Foundation is eager to fill.

"Even with the economic downturn, it's possible the Foundation can assume a greater role in partnering businesses with law enforcement. We'd like to make this a really good opportunity," Lunardini said. "If we're able to get an executive director, which is something the Foundation had needed for 10 years, we can determine what direction the foundation will go."

The Foundation relies on donations and the annual fundraising event, Take a Tasty Bite Out of Crime to raise money, which it also distributes to the Hinds County Sheriff's Department and the Metro One crime-fighting helicopter program.

The Foundation's board of eight draws no wages for their work, but instead steers all incoming money to local police agencies. Lunardini said a full-time executive director could require a $40,000 annual salary, but would allow the foundation to adopt a more active role in bringing together law enforcement and local businesses.

The loss of SafeCity will not affect the Foundation's annual Take a Tasty Bite Out of Crime event, scheduled for May 5, in Highland Village.

Previous Comments

ID

156990

Comment

Take a Tasty Bite Out of Crime was always SafeCity's event (Metro Crime Commission before then). The Jackson Police Foundation will be hosting, for the first time, the event this year. The last paragraph of this article reads incorrectly.

Author

Krystal

Date

2010-03-31T13:08:28-06:00