CONFERENCE WILL OFFER SAFETY IDEAS

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., the No. 2 person in the
U.S. Department of Justice, will be among this year's speakers at the Safer
Communities Brighter Futures Conference in Des Moines.

President Clinton nominated Holder in 1993 to become the U.S. attorney for
the District of Columbia. In that post, Holder created a new domestic
violence unit and developed "Operation Cease-fire," a program designed to
reduce violent crime. He moved to his current post in July 1997.

Dale Woolery, acting coordinator of the Governor's Alliance on Substance
Abuse, said the Sept. 16-17 conference is an opportunity for local leaders
across the state to share promising approaches to combatting drugs and
crime.

Conference workshop topics will include: school violence prevention,
school-police relations, creative crime prevention, creating a drug-free
workplace, and current and emerging street drug information.

Other speakers include James E. Copple, executive deputy director for the
National Crime Prevention Council, and Vaughn Ownbey, who manages the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America's State-City Alliance Program for the
southern United States.

Organizers are hoping to attract community members, educators, elected
officials, judges, juvenile justice workers, law enforcement workers,
neighborhood association members, school officials, spiritual leaders and
substance abuse professionals and volunteers.

Among the many sponsors are the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, the
Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa
Department of Human Rights and the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Planning.

To Attend:

Iowans are invited to attend the day-and-a-half conference Sept. 16-17 at
the Airport Holiday Inn, 6111 Fleur Drive. Pre-registration fees are $65
per person. For information call Training Resources at (319) 351-0114.

The Des Moines Register

Checked-by: Don Beck