Former Police Chief of New York and Houston, Dr. Lee Brown, is slated to address the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica's 20th anniversary celebration and awards banquet on Tuesday, November 7. It will commence at 6:30 p.m. at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Dr. Brown, who has been referred to by many as the 'Father of Community Policing', boasts an extremely impressive list of accolades. Born to migrant farm workers in rural Oklahoma, Dr. Brown rose to the pinnacle of American politics, serving in the Cabinet of President Bill Clinton and Mayor of Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in America.

Community policing pioneer

He began his police career as a beat cop with the San José, California Police Department, where he developed one of the nation's first police community-relations programmes and rose steadily through the ranks. Dr. Brown attracted the attention of the world as he calmly handled the investigation of the Atlanta Child Murders.

After solving that case, he was selected by Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire to serve as Houston's Police Chief. Dr. Brown pioneered the concept of community policing and transformed the Houston Police Department into one of the most respected police agencies in the nation. It was during his service in Houston that he earned the title of 'Father of Community Policing'.

In 1990, his services were sought by Mayor David Dinkins as police commissioner of New York City, where he implemented the concept of community policing city-wide, and after one year crime went down.

Recognition

In 1993, President Bill Clinton named Brown to serve in his Cabinet as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, commonly called Drug Czar. And, in 1997, he was elected Mayor of Houston, Texas, and re-elected twice.

It is this concept of community policing which has resulted in no homicides in Grants Pen since its implementation a year ago. The programme, spearheaded by the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AmCham), has been a collaborative effort between United States Agency for International Development, six Government of Jamaica ministries and agencies, a wide cross-section of corporate and faith-based organisations, the National Health Fund and, importantly, the strong support of both political parties.

AmCham's 20th anniversary celebration and awards banquet, which is being held under the distinguished patronage of the United States Ambassador to Jamaica, H.E. Brenda LaGrange-Johnson, will honour all the corporate sponsors and partners in the Grants Pen Initiative.