NEWS RELEASE

New Orleans Field Office

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) James Bernazzani

Baty Landis, PhD. has been named the recipient of the 2007 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award announced James Bernazzani , Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Division of the FBI.

Established in 1990, the Director's Community Leadership Award is presented each year by FBI Field Offices to individuals whose achievements in the areas of crime prevention, drug deterrence, or similar educational programs have made a positive difference in their communities.

Dr. Landis is recognized for her efforts in reaching people from all walks of life who wish to stand up against crime. Her anti-violence campaign, Silence Is Violence, was founded following the murder of two of her close friends, and became a leading non-profit organization for citizen-driven crime reduction and awareness in New Orleans. She organized a March for Survival to City Hall in January 2007 in which thousands of concerned citizens joined in to seek action against violent crime and to raise awareness about the problem in New Orleans.

Since its inception, Dr. Landis has presided over a dramatic growth in membership and concepts for Silence Is Violence. She has organized weekly "City Walks" through some of the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods, in which a wide cross-section of New Orleans citizens participate, including many prominent members of the music, ministerial and law enforcement communities. She has developed a "Court Watch" program in which Silence Is Violence representatives attend court on specific murder cases as a way of keeping the case in the public's eye so that neither the public or the Criminal Justice System lose awareness of the victims. She has organized Youth Music Clinics to teach and inspire at-risk youth to express themselves in a positive manner. She instituted Anti-Violence Forums in the Schools with hopes to instill in the students a sense of positive purpose and pride in their city.

SAC Bernazzani stated:

“Dr. Landis, by her direct and passionate involvement in her community, her work with at-risk youth, and in exemplifying an active and positive role model for voluntary citizen involvement, has displayed a brave and true commitment to combating the scourge of violent crime in the city of New Orleans, and is truly worthy of this recognition by the FBI Director for her selfless efforts.”

On behalf of Director Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI is pleased to present the Director's Community Leadership Award to Dr. Baty Landis. The presentation will take place during a ceremony to be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday 3, 2007 at the FBI's New Orleans Field Office, located at 2901 Leon C. Simon Blvd. Members of the media are welcome to attend and are asked to arrive by 10:15 a.m.

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