Columbus, Georgia

Minutes for the Meeting of the

Public Safety Advisory Commission

July 7, 2005



Present members of Advisory Commission: Robert Turner (@ 4:05 pm), Charles

Kurtz, Robert Loving (@4:07 pm), C.A. Hardmon, James Wilson, Allen McMullen,

Cheryl Gallatin, Archie Rainey (Chairman)



Absent members: Keyla Cabret, Harold Bryant, Greg Camp



Visitors: Nate Sanderson



Recording Secretary: Mrs. Ann Bell, Administrative Specialist III



Location: Community Room of the Public Safety Building



Meeting began at 4:03 p.m.





CHAIRMAN ARCHIE RAINEY CALLS THE MEETING TO ORDER:



Archie Rainey calls the meeting to order. Roll is taken.



REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING?S MINUTES:



The commission members took a few moments to review the minutes of the previous

meeting. There was a motion and a second to approve minutes and they were then

approved.



OLD BUSINESS



Chairman Rainey advised the commission that he sent a letter to and tried to

find a contact phone number for the citizen who sent the commission the article

about the Talbot County Sheriff not getting a ticket for running a red light

and causing an accident; asking the commission if they could do something about

the injustice.



NEW BUSINESS - NATE SANDERSON



Mr. Hardmon introduced Nate Sanderson to the commission. Mr. Sanderson has

worked with the NAACP and other civic organizations.



Mr. Sanderson started by saying he has not read the commission?s mission and/or

goals and objectives. He discussed his background a little and passed around

the Midwest Academy Manual for Activism. He then went on to mention that he

has worked with Tobacco Prevention Program as a speaker and has run for public

office.



Mr. Sanderson then spoke of how the Tobacco Prevention Program was able to move

the industry with a shoestring budget. He feels the commission should address

prevention, intervention, treatment, and outreach in our community.



He mentions he is displeased with how the criminal justice system turns out

offenders; they are turned out with no skills. He believes in punishing them,

but feels they should be given some sort of skill.



Concerned about no diversity of ideas, only the same people or groups are

reaching out in the community. Have to start identifying the correct type of

community elders and non-traditional leaders should be integrated into the

process. Civic organizations are great resources the community is not taking

advantage of.



Columbus needs to promote and focusing on the good and enhancing it in the

community. We spend too much time focusing on the negative.



Mr. Sanderson does not believe Columbus is doing the proper cost benefit

analysis out of some of the programs possibly being cut.



He also feels this commission needs a budget and to have direct influence on

the budget.



Chairman Rainey and Mr. Sanderson briefly discuss whether intervention or

prevention is more important in the police department when you have limited

resources.



MEETING CLOSE



Mr. Hardmon states he would like Chief Boren to attend the next meeting to

discuss tasers.



Chairman Rainey mentions he wants to get with Major Wright to invite a couple

of the neighborhood watch leaders to the next meeting. He also mentions the

commission?s new voicemail number.



A motion is made to adjourn the meeting at 5:02 p.m., a second motion is made,

and the meeting adjourned.





Ann Bell

Administrative Specialist, III

Recording Secretary