National Night Out is Coming!

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT TUESDAY, AUGUST 4
To register your event and have Union Station officers stop by, contact Kate Sides (636-4625) or Margaret.Sides@memphistn.gov. If your group hasn’t received a kit from National Night Out Headquarters, go to www.nationalnightout.org to order one. (Limited supply available from Kate.) Last year Midtown had over 70 NNO events. Help celebrate a great part of town to live in. Plan a NNO event.

MPD Media Release on E-mail Scam

(Note: This media release has been verified that it is from the Memphis Police Dept. Thanks go to Councilman Myron Lowery and Col. Billy Garrett.)

EXTORTION E-MAIL LANDS
IN THE INBOXES OF MEMPHIS CITIZENS

Memphis Police robbery investigators have received a number of complaints concerning an emailed extortion attempt. The sender of the email is a con artist that has allegedly been paid to assassinate the recipient. The sender will agree to foil the assassination plot in exchange for a payment of money from the recipient. Once the payment is received, the sender may also agree to provide information regarding the person or persons who paid to have the recipient assassinated.

There have been a total of eleven such incidents reported in Memphis since July of 2007. This email scam has picked up in the Memphis area once again. Citizens should be made aware that these emails are a scam. They should not send any money to the sender, nor should they provide any personal information such as names, telephone numbers, or bank account information. Providing personal information in response to unsolicited emails can compromise one’s identity and open that person up to having their identity stolen.

If a citizen has experienced this situation, they may notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov. The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

Due to the threat of violence inherent in some of these emails, anyone receiving extortion emails which contain any personally identifiable information is urged to contact their local, state, or federal law enforcement agency immediately.

Contact:
Officer Karen Rudolph
Office of Public Information/Media Relations
201 Poplar Room 12-08
Memphis, TN 38103
Office: (901) 636-3224
Cell: (901) 568-3079
Fax: (901) 636-3740
MEDIA RELEASE June 22, 2009

More About "The Jericho Project" and Savvy Police!

Don't miss the short documentary, "The Jericho Project," today at the Midtown Security Community meeting at Rhodes starting at 5:00 in the library (Room 051). Use University St. entrance.

"The Jericho Project" was chosen Best Documentary at the Indie Memphis Film Festival in 2007.

Joann Self and Stephen Bush will be our guests to talk about this innovative and life-changing project for the mentally ill who have been incarcerated in Memphis.

Hear from Col. Billy Garrett about the tremendous successes they have had at Union Station this past month. Learn more about how they have outwitted a car theft ring. An amazing story!

"Be part of the solution. Help keep Midtown a safe place to live and work."

Project that "saved her life"

"Kim Dunlap nursed her bipolar disorder with powder cocaine, an addiction that eventually led her to crime and later to jail.

But while serving time on charges of forgery and identify theft four years ago, Dunlap, 45, received a lifeline.

A Shelby County public defender introduced her to a county-run, decade-long program called Project Jericho that helped her access the medications, treatment and counseling she needed to get out of jail and get well.

Dunlap seized the opportunity and on Thursday she told a conference of local and state government, law enforcement and public health officials that Project Jericho saved her life.

'I can't tell you where I'd be today if it wasn't for this,' she said." (Excerpt from Commercial Appeal article, March 6, 2009)

Project Jericho will be presented at our Midtown Security Community meeting on Wednesday, June 17, as an innovative program to help make a difference in the lives of the mentally ill in our community. Come see "The Jericho Project," a short documentary produced by Joann Self Selvidge and hear from Stephen Bush, Asst. Public Defender who has been instrumental in making the Jericho Project a success. Colonel Garrett of Union Station will give his report on crime "Stats and Successes," and there are MANY successes this past month. Come be a part of the solution!

Wednesday, June 17th
Rhodes College
Barrett Library
Enter from University St.
Guard will direct you to the library, Room 051.
Plan to arrive by 5:00.
Documentary will be shown at 5:15.
Business meeting: 5:30-6:30 pm

Power is on at Rhodes! MSC Meets Tomorrow!

Great news from John Blaisdell at Rhodes! They do have power, and our Midtown Security Community meeting is "on" for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, starting at 5:00. Rhodes and Hein Park Neighborhood Association are generously hosting tomorrow's meeting.

Be sure that you plan to arrive at Rhodes (Use the University St. entrance) in time to be there by 5:00 when refreshments start. At 5:15 we will show the short documentary, "The Jericho Project," produced by Joann Self Selvidge of True Story Pictures about the innovative work that Stephen Bush of the Shelby County Public Defenders Office is doing with people who have been incarcerated who have mental illness. Joann will be there, and Stephen will discuss this important initiative. Col. Billy Garrett will have an update on crime "Stats and Successes" during the past month.

As always we welcome anyone who is interested in keeping Memphis and Midtown a "safe place to live and work." Please tell a friend and join us. It should be a very interesting program.

Home Inventory

The best way to track your items that have serial numbers is to make an inventory. Col. Garret has provided us with his Inventory form. Download it as a MS Word Document.
It wouldn't hurt to have photos of your valuables, as well as videos of your rooms and contents, with copies kept off-premises in a secure place like a safe deposit box.

Exciting Plans for June 17th MSC Meeting

Our June MSC program will feature two exciting projects both of which relate to public safety.  Joann Self Selvidge is the founder and executive director of True Story Pictures, a wonderfully creative new program that is documenting via video all kinds of interesting people and projects in Memphis.  They have done a short film on "The Jericho Project" which is headed up by Stephen Bush of the Public Defenders Office. This film highlights the significant and groundbreaking work Stephen and his associates are doing with folks who have been incarcerated and have emotional illness and how working with them in a non-traditional program is showing results in getting them back into society and hopefully keeping them out of jail.

Both Joann and Stephen will be joining us for our program on the 17th along with Col. Billy Garrett of Union Station.

Please mark your calendar now for Wednesday, June 17, so you can hear about the Jericho Project, True Story Pictures, and, of course, get the latest crime information from Col. Billy Garrett.  The meeting will be generously co-hosted by Rhodes College and Hein Park Neighborhood Association.  Use University St. entrance to Rhodes.  Guard will give you directions to Barrett Library, Room 051.

Be sure to arrive at Rhodes in time to see "The Jericho Project" which will be shown at 5:15 pm. Refreshments start at 5:00.  And those of you who have attended our meetings before already know the secret about our guaranteed ending time.  For newcomers we always end by 6:30 pm.  Please join us!

"Be part of the solution.  Help keep Midtown a safe place to live and work."  Hope to see you on the 17th.

MSC May Meeting - Pilgrim House in Cooper Young

The May meeting of the Midtown Security Community was held at the Pilgrim House at First congregational Church in Cooper-Young.

Pilgrim House gererously provided meeting space for an
overflow crowd, with many new faces attending for the first time.

Schnuck's always provides great
refreshments for MSC meetings.

Tamara Walker, Cooper-Young Business
Association Director, gives an update on
business security in Cooper-Young.

Peggy Williamson announces a collaborative partnership

between Union Station, represendted by Col. Billy Garrett,
and Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop, represented by
founder, Anthony Siracusa.

Midtowner resident and business owner, Karen Lebovitz,
talks with Col. Garrett who is available at ever MSC meeting
for consults on Midtown crime concerns.

SUSPECTS CHARGED IN COOPER YOUNG ROBBERY

From:

Detective Monique Y. Martin
Memphis Police Department
Office of Public Information/Media Relations
201 Poplar Avenue Room 12-08
Memphis, Tennessee 38103

Memphis Police robbery investigators have charged two suspects in connection to a robbery that occurred near the 1900 block of Felix on last Friday.

CORDARIOUS WELLS (20) and CORDELL SCOTT (21) were charged with especially aggravated robbery.

On May 15, 2009, around 10:30 pm, a mother (70) and daughter (39) were walking home from an area restaurant when they were approached by two armed men. The men demanded the victims’ purses and money. During the attack, the daughter was struck in the face with a handgun. The elderly victim was pushed to the ground. Both suspects then fled on foot.

Both suspects were arrested on Wednesday.

MSC Meets This Thursday, May 21st

We have an exciting meeting planned for this Thursday, May 21, at Pilgrim House Conference Center located at First Congregational Church, 1000 S. Cooper, starting at 5:00 pm with refreshments. Enter Pilgrim House conference room from rear of First Congregational Church parking lot off of Blythe Street. Go through door on far right of back of church building marked "Pilgrim House."

Business meeting starts promptly at 5:30 and will be over at 6:30. We are pleased to have Tamara Walker, CYBA Executive Director, to bring us news about how CY businesses are staying safe. Col. Billy Garrett, Union Station police precinct, will be updating us on a number of arrests from the past month and sharing tips for how to take precautions based on these current crime trends. Anthony Siracusa of Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop at First Congregational will share the creative work that they are doing to involve young adults and teenagers in their bike ministry. We will also discuss a new policing tool possibility that MSC might be able to make happen which I think you will find very interesting.

"Be part of the solution. Help keep Midtown a safe place to live and work."

Peggy Williamson, Chair
Midtown Security Community