Seth Brown, an administrator at St. Luke United Methodist Church, was hired Tuesday as the city’s first crime prevention director to lead the mayor’s Office of Crime Prevention.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity Columbus has in front of it,” Brown said minutes after Columbus Council voted 9-0 to approve him. “This is going to be a huge deal for the citizens of Columbus. I’m excited I’ve got a role in this.”
Brown, 39, won the job over the second finalist, Tracy Fox, a former Columbus police officer who works as guidance director at Veterans Memorial Middle School. He will assume his duties on April 12 to give St. Luke a month to find a replacement.
Mayor Jim Wetherington said Brown will earn $57,263 per year, a $763 raise over his $56,500 salary at St. Luke.
Selection of a crime prevention director comes 14 months after the mayor created a crime prevention commission in January 2009 to reduced crime in Columbus. “It has taken us several months to arrive at this occasion, and I am convinced that we have put into place the beginnings of a program that will serve the citizens of Columbus well as we strive to become the safest city in America,” Wetherington said.
In his selection for crime prevention director, the mayor noted Brown’s managing of budgets totaling $9 million for St. Luke church, the Early Learning Center and St. Luke School, serving in the Army during Desert Storm in Iraq and as chairman of the Crime Stoppers program over the last four years.
“His experiences working with budgets, working with boards and volunteers, and working with the law enforcement community, I believe, make him not only qualified but also the best candidate for the position,” Wetherington said.
As director, Brown will work with other government agencies on programs to prevent crimes before branching out to other nonprofit groups. Using recommendations from the crime prevention commission, he will focus on recreation, education, employment, drug prevention and intervention and community policing.
Council has set aside $931,859 to operate the office this fiscal year but that total could increase to $2 million annually. The mayor has envisioned the director working with Columbus Technical Institute to provide job training and Columbus Parks and Recreation to staff centers to offer more programs for at risk youths.
“There are several areas we are going to work on,” Brown said. “The citizens will have a direct hand in this. The mayor and I talked many times and said without citizens this will not succeed. Meeting with community leaders is my first step.”
When asked why he would leave an important position at St. Luke, Brown said he loves Columbus and wants to make it better. “It’s been a passion since I’ve been here to make Columbus a better city,” he said.
Brown’s wife, Beth, and his parents were in council chambers for the announcement. They have two children, Mary Paige and Wes.
Serving at the pleasure of the mayor, Brown realizes there’s skepticism in the new job but asked residents to give the office a chance. “I would encourage people to give us a chance. It’s a crime prevention job,” he said. “It’s not a law enforcement job. I will work with law enforcement but that is not the job. It is crime prevention.”
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