A community free of crime does not have to be a dream .
Crime cuts across all ethnic and economic barriers .
It affects a child's right to play peacefully in a neighborhood park, an elderly citizen's right to walk to the corner grocery store at night as well as a business owner's decision to invest and create jobs in our community. A crime-free society is critical to our survival and success. That's why events like this evening's go a long way in helping to reduce crime by building partnerships between communities and government . It's equally obvious that we must take the responsible steps to stop this deadly combination and we are taking one of those steps tonight. However, it will take all our efforts to continue to combat crime in our community.