Release #083-98

Contact: Colleen Roche 212-788-2958, Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today met with members of the New York Hispanic Clergy Association and asked them to support and participate in his anti-drug initiative. First announced in October, 1997, the Mayor's initiative seeks to remove drugs from schools and neighborhoods through a coordinated law enforcement, treatment and educational effort.

During today's meeting, held at La Iglesia Cristiana Roca Eterna in the Bronx, Mayor Giuliani invited members of the Hispanic Clergy Association to become part of the Clergy Anti-Drug Abuse Forum -- a key component of the Mayor's strategy. The Forum, which is comprised of leading members of the City's diverse religious communities, will, within three months, draft an anti-drug strategic action plan that will be implemented with the help of individuals, families, congregations and communities throughout the City.

"On October 1, 1997, we announced our comprehensive, coordinated effort to significantly reduce drug abuse in our neighborhoods and schools," Mayor Giuliani said. "City government is leading the way, but what makes this anti-drug initiative different is the degree to which it requires the energy, expertise and cooperation of people and organizations all across the City. While it is ultimately the drug abuser who can end his or her personal addiction, it will take the participation of every member of society to end this national crisis.

"The clergy is a tremendous resource," the Mayor continued. "Not only do you confront, head-on, the spiritual and moral dimensions of the drug crisis, but for well over a generation you have dealt with its practical consequences. I cannot thank you enough for the work you have done already. But we have much more to do together."

The Mayor presented the clergy with a number of initiatives in which they could become involved that are designed to show children that the best life is an independent, drug-free life. The Mayor :

• Asked clergy to regularly include the issue of drug abuse in their sermons, as many already do;
• Urged clergy to work with the Police Department's Community Affairs Division to train parents to recognize signs of drug use, to participate in drug and gang prevention and to learn methods of accessing anti-drug resources within the community;
• Announced that the Police Department's Community Affairs Division will work with members of the clergy to set up DARE and Gang Prevention Programs in their congregations;
• Asked churches to promote the Police Department Youth Academy Program and the Law Enforcement Exploring Academy. The Youth Academy Program provides children with an opportunity to learn about the daily challenges and responsibilities of being a police officer. The Law Enforcement Exploring Academy, a collaboration between police officers from all 12 Bronx precincts and the Boy Scouts of America, educates young men and women ages 14-20 about law enforcement;
• Urged participation in the Adopt-A-Cop Prayer Program where members of the clergy of a church adopt a local police officer who volunteers to attend events at that church;
• Announced that congregations may apply for funds in partnership with local community-based organizations to establish new Beacon Schools. Clergy members or clerics can also become involved in existing Beacon School Programs in the Bronx;
• Announced that Drug Hotline posters are available for local clergy to distribute and post. The Mayor also urged community leaders to call the hotline number, 1-888-374-DRUG, to report any drug activity in their neighborhoods 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Mayor also updated the clergy on the progress of the anti-drug initiative:

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• The Police Department's South Bronx anti-drug initiative is fully operational. Four hundred police officers are assigned specifically to combat narcotics crime, and another 146 are committed to an anti-drug initiative in the North Bronx.
• The number of Drug Free School Zones has been increased from 40 to 100 citywide, bringing the total to 14 in the Bronx. The number of schools in the Safe Corridor Program has been doubled from 120 to 240, including an increase from 23 to 33 in the Bronx.

TREATMENT

• The number of citywide treatment beds at Riker's Island has been increased.
• The Department of Correction has implemented new treatment programs.
• The Department of Probation has increased residential and outpatient treatment capacity.

EDUCATION

• Support for DARE has been increased in public schools throughout the City.
• The number of Beacon Schools has been expanded from 41 to 51 including five new Beacons in the Bronx.
• Police Officers, in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority's Community Center Counselors, are providing a modified DARE and Gang Resistance programs.

"Thank you so much for your support. I look forward to working together frequently to make continued gains in this vital fight to reclaim our independence, one person at a time," the Mayor concluded.