Touting a weekend without a reported murder in the city, Mayor Sheila Dixon and local law enforcement officials announced Monday that the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives will hold its annual training conference and exhibition in Baltimore in 2010.
The conference will bring about 2,000 law enforcement commanders and chiefs from across the country, Dixon said.
“This is exciting news,” she said. “It?s a great honor to host a group that?s played such a crucial role in creating policy that makes our streets safe.”
The group, founded in 1976, has roots in Baltimore: One of its founding members and first presidents is Bishop Robinson, the city?s first black police commissioner, and its current national president, Doug DeLeaver, is retired chief of the Maryland Transit Police. Both were present for the announcement Monday.
“NOBLE is a proud organization,” DeLeaver said. “We bring the top level of law enforcement officials from around the country … and we do spend some money in the cities [for the convention].”
The NOBLE conference is expected to generate an estimated $2 million in direct spending for the city and use more than 5,300 hotel room nights. But Dixon said the conference would also benefit the city?s police department.
“I think it really signals that we?re really making strides in the city,” she said. “It?s just going to help us share and work on our best practices.”
Dixon and city Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said the city had gone five days without a murder as of midday Monday, and Dixon said she looked to build on the success.
Bealefeld said the organization?s legacy has reached down into the modern city police department.
“The convention is huge, but the legacy, the inspiration to men and women dedicated every day to making Baltimore safer, is the proof in the pudding,” he said. “We are honored by your legacy.”
