BAY MINETTE — The Project Safe Neighborhood committee, a community action group that meets through the Bay Minette Police Department, is one step closer to bringing a visit from a gang-prevention program to the area.

John Eads, director of Volunteers of America, is coordinating a visit from Homeboy Industries, a non-profit organization that "assists at-risk and formerly gang-involved youth to become positive and contributing members of society through job placement, training and education," according to homeboy-industries.org.

Eads said a group from Homeboy Industries visits the area regularly, speaking to schools in Pritchard and Mobile. He said the men's stories are moving and very emotional.

Homeboy Industries began in 1988 as “Jobs For A Future,” a program created by Father Gregory Boyle while he was serving as pastor of Dolores Mission parish in Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles.

The program was designed to offer alternatives to gang violence in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city by providing jobs through small businesses owned by the organization.

The Mission opened a small bakery, allowing it to hire "the most challenging, difficult to place young people" and put them to work "in a safe environment."

"Homeboy Industries is a place where the most difficult to place individuals are hired in transitional jobs, thus giving them a safe, supportive environment in which to learn both concrete and soft job skills, while simultaneously building their resume and work experience," the site states. "Former rivals find themselves working side by side, finding true community and friendship in place of the limited community of gang life.

"The hope was that they could learn both concrete and soft job skills, to make them stronger, better prepared candidates for permanent employment," the site states.

The addition of a tortilla stand in Grand Central Market downtown moved JFF forward, and created Homeboy Industries.

The organization obtained non-profit status in August 2001 and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.  Homeboy’s businesses now include the Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy Maintenance, Homeboy Merchandise, Homegirl Café and Homeboy Press, a literary magazine that began print in 2008.

Eads said technology has allowed gang activity to spread farther and faster than ever before.

"They're now using Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other such social sites. They're targeting kids as young as 10," he said. "Two years ago the target age was 12, we're going to see it younger and younger."

The plan is for the men to be in town the week after Mardi Gras, Feb. 21-27. Though they will also be speaking in Mobile and Pritchard, PSN committee members said they would like to set up several speaking engagements, including the middle and high schools and a community-wide event targeted at the parents.

Exact dates will be discussed at the next PSN meeting.

BMPD to sponsor commercial

Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland told members the department will sponsor a commercial in the Baldwin County Community Alliance commercial contest for the third year.

The contest is open to Baldwin County students in sixth through 12th grades. The students must produce a storyboard for a 30-second commercial with an anti-underage drinking message.

One winner from each participating school will be chosen, from those, three overall winners will be chosen. Co-sponsor FOX-10 News will produce and air the top three commercials, which will feature the writers as actors.

"The alliance is also wanting to team with PSN to feature some public service announcements," Rowland said. "They are partnering with other agencies to provide interdiction programs for substance abuse."

Many of the community programs mentioned will hopefully be funded through a PSN grant, Rowland said.

"The PSN steering committee through the police department has applied for a PSN grant from the U.S. Attorney's Office," he said. He said $137,000 is available but has to be divided among those applying.

"We may not get any of it," he said. "We got one last time. The money would be used to continue on with public meetings and to sponsor civic events."

He said some of the money may also be used to provide equipment for the police department, such as tasers.

"We had planned to buy laptops for the new officers, but we were able to get those from another source," he said. "We want most of the money to go to community events such as HIPPY. We'd like to sponsor some children."

HIPPY is the anacronym for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, a program that provides teachers to go into the homes of pre-school children and teach their parents how to prepare them for kindergarten.

"It costs $1,500 per family," Rowland said. The program is provided at no cost to the families, through donations and other funding.

The chief said most community meetings, such as the monthly Moran Street Community Action Agency meetings, have been suspended until after the first of the year.

"We've (wound) down most of our community meetings to get through the holidays," he said.

Teen Challenge discussed

Orville Johnson, program director for the Alabama Teen Challenge Bay Minette facility, said his agency is doing well as are all Teen Challenge facilities across the country.

"We have transferred more people to the next phase this year than ever before," he said. "We have fewer people walking away (from the program), the beds are filled and we have a waiting list," he said.

Teen Challenge is a faith-based program for people with addictions.

"There are 214 Teen Challenge facilities in the United States, and growing," Johnson said. He said one of the more touching stories recently is that of a 61-year-old man who has been an alcoholic for 47 years and is now overcoming that obstacle.

"It's amazing to see what the Lord has done in this man's life," Johnson said.

He asked the chief about security systems, noting that one was needed at the Teen Challenge facility.

He said though the facility is not a lock-down facility, and participants can leave the program if they choose, staff members need to know when someone leaves.

Rowland said he would be hearing presentations soon from a company called Wildfire that provides security systems.

"They have a digital security system that works off wi-fi," he said. "They sell the police department the software, server and monitor, then people can buy the cameras. All they need is a power source."

Rowland said the cameras were linked to the police department via wireless internet allowing the police department to monitor residences, businesses, even parking lots from the department when owners are not there.

"You can set it for motion detection so that when something moves it automatically prioritizes it to the police department," he said.

The system would also mean safer and quicker response by officers.

"The officers will be able to pull it up on their laptops and see what's going on. They can use the keyboard to pan the cameras so they can see what's going on inside and see if anyone is still in the house," he said. "It will increase the chance of catching someone and increase the safety of the officer."

Rowland said each camera's activity would be recorded around the clock on a DVR so that even if officers did not get there in time to apprehend a suspect, footage could be used to identify perpetrators.

"The system costs $45,000, but the cameras are about $150 to $200," he said. He said city facilities would be set up on the core system, then people who chose to buy the cameras would be added. The system is just a thought now, however, with no immediate plans to purchase.

"A number of other cities have it. It's something we will look at in the long run," Rowland said.

The group voted to change meeting dates from the first Thursday of the month to the second Thursday. The next meeting will be Jan. 14, at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall.