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Office of News and Information
Johns Hopkins University
901 South Bond Street, Suite 540
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Phone: 443-287-9960
Fax: 443-287-9920

July 17, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judith Evans Smith
(410) 516-6393
Heather Egan Stalfort
(410) 516-0341 ext. 17


L.A. Police Chief to Discuss Urban Crime-Fighting Strategies

William J. Bratton, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, will deliver the fourth Rebuilding America's Cities lecture at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 23, presented by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies and Evergreen Museum & Library.

One of the most distinguished law enforcement leaders in the country, Bratton is a strong advocate of transparent community policing that embraces partnership, problem solving and prevention. In his talk, Bratton will discuss what it takes to make and keep a city safe, drawing on his 30 years of experience successfully fighting crime.

The event will be held in the Evergreen Carriage House at Evergreen Museum & Library, 4545 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and an RSVP is encouraged. To respond, or for more information, the public may e-mail urbanlecture@jhu.edu or visit www.museums.jhu.edu.

"Recognizing that rebuilding America's cities extends well beyond physical rebuilding, we felt it was important to address the socioeconomic realm," said Sandra Newman, director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. "Chief Bratton is a storied person in the criminal justice field, and this topic could not be more relevant to the rebuilding of Baltimore."

Bratton was appointed the 54th chief of the Los Angeles Police Department by Mayor James Hahn in 2002 and in 2007 was appointed to a second five-year term. After four years in office, crime in Los Angeles has been reduced to historically low levels, with violent crimes down 25 percent and homicides down 27 percent. Bratton previously served as police commissioner of New York City from 1994 to 1996, and is credited with revitalizing the police force of that city and effecting a 10 percent a year drop in crime.

The lecture is made possible by Johns Hopkins University Provost's Office, the Goldseker Foundation and the Evergreen House Foundation.

The event also marks Evergreen Museum & Library's eighth Garrett Lecture on Urban Issues, which commemorates the interest of the Garrett family, the former owners of Evergreen, in recreation, civic improvement and urban planning.

Previous Rebuilding America's Cities lectures were presented in May 2008 by Forest City developer Ronald Ratner ("American Cities: Does Size Matter?"); May 2007 by New Orleans recovery czar Edward J. Blakely ("New Orleans: The Challenge of Rebuilding"); and April 2006 by architecture critic Paul Goldberger ("After the World Trade Center and Katrina: The Struggle to Repair the Broken City").