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Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2007 City Livability Awards Program, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Waste Management. The national award recognized an Internet Safety Program that’s been recognized as a “Best Practice” and replicated across the nation.

“The City Livability Award highlights mayoral leadership in making urban areas safer, cleaner and more livable,” said Tom Cochran, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “It is also an opportunity to showcase the creativity and commitment of mayors and city governments across the country.”

The judges were former mayors who selected the winning cities from more than 200 applicants based on mayoral leadership, creativity and innovation and broad impact on the quality of life for residents.

Sugar Land’s Internet safety program is an innovative cross-sector collaboration involving all levels of government, non-profit organizations and the business community. The program utilizes education, enforcement and prevention to help parents, families and communities protect children from online predators. Wallace identified the program and facilitated involvement of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC), a City-sponsored teen group that provides insight for government services impacting youth.

Working with Wallace, Sugar Land Police Chief Steve Griffith, and the Texas Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit, MYAC formed a plan during 2006 addressing Internet safety – specifically, personal information posted on the Internet and participation in chat rooms, one of the most dangerous and popular places.

A partnership between MYAC, the Sugar Land Police Department, Fort Bend Independent School District, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children resulted in middle school presentations. They included an introduction from Mayor Wallace, peer-to-peer discussions and a presentation by the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit. School counselors developed a similar presentation for parents to assist them in looking for telltale signs of Internet crime.

Following the “youth/parent education” phase of this program, the Sugar Land Police Department worked in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Division to conduct a “sting operation” based in the Sugar Land Police station. This operation illustrated how various state and local agencies can and do work well together in an effort to help eradicate crime in a community.

During the enforcement sting phase, agents arrested child predators showing up at a fictitious 13-year-old child’s home. The partnership between SLPD, the Attorney General’s Office and the Fort Bend District Attorney resulted in a 100 percent conviction rate.

Using a foundation of materials provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s www.NetSmartz.org, a complete packet of materials was developed for use by cities across the nation. The packet (printed by a local business) was titled “Keep Kids E – Safe Toolkit, A community Internet Safety Program for Students and Adults.” It included educational CD ROMs, (one for parents, one for children); mouse pad; Internet abbreviation dictionary; printed information sheets; and an “Internet Safety Pledge” for Middle and High School. This Internet Safety Toolkit that was prepared and created in Sugar Land has now been rolled out to over 1,300 cities across the United States. Funding was made possible through a donation by Time Warner Cable (now Comcast).

In addition, Time Warner Cable (now Comcast) produced a public service announcement featuring the program that aired throughout the Houston region. The estimated value of this in-kind contribution by Comcast is over $498,400.

Wallace spoke about the Internet safety initiative at several national conferences, including one hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, an agency that worked with Wallace to develop its own Project Safe Childhood endeavor.

“This year’s honorees represent yet another group of resourceful and innovative mayors, helping to make their communities and the nation a better place to live and work. We heartily applaud their efforts,” said David Steiner, chief executive officer of Waste Management, Inc.