QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY JESSE J. SLIGH TO RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED 1998 CRIME PREVENTION PRACTITIONER AWARD FROM THE NEW YORK STATE CRIME PREVENTION COALITION

Jesse J. Sligh, Executive Assistant District Attorney in charge of Special Prosecutions in the office of Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown will receive The New York State Crime Prevention Coalition's 1998 Crime Prevention Practitioner Award tonight at a ceremony in Albany.

District Attorney Brown said, "Jesse Sligh will be honored for his outstanding efforts, dedication and enthusiasm for crime prevention which have positively impacted on the residents of our county. As head of our Special Prosecutions Division, Mr. Sligh works closely with the members of Queens County's many communities and neighborhoods to help reduce violence and improve the quality of life in our county by building community partnerships and developing, participating in and encouraging a wide variety of crime prevention and education efforts. This award is well deserved."

District Attorney Brown continued, "Traveling around the county, regularly visiting community boards, civic associations and precinct councils, Jesse has bridged relationships with law enforcement to build partnerships and task forces to try and solve community crime problems neighborhood by neighborhood. From disorderly conduct to drag racing, he has built coalitions to address these problems so that community residents and their children can live in a healthier and safer environment."

Mr. Sligh has also been the prime mover in establishing a number of successful crime prevention programs for youth in Queens County -- most significantly, District Attorney Brown's STAR TRACK School Anti-Violence Program in Far Rockaway which works with schools, law enforcement and community leaders to reduce violence in and around targeted schools in the 101st Precinct.

Mr. Sligh's involvement also includes coordinating Operation Summer Fun an annual program for young people in the 113th Precinct, the District Attorney's Boy Scouts Explorer Program and the District Attorney's Student Advisory Council.

Mr. Sligh has been an assistant district attorney in the Queens District Attorney's Office since 1982. He has worked as a trial assistant in the Supreme Court Trial and Major Offense bureaus, as Deputy Chief of the Felony Waiver Bureau, as Chief of the Intake Bureau and as an Executive Assistant District Attorney in charge of Case Processing.

Mr. Sligh received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. At Georgetown, he edited the International law edition of the Black Law Journal. Before joining the Queens District Attorney's Office, Mr. Sligh served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he served in various positions including that of prosecutor, defense attorney, Legal Assistance Officer and Chief of Military Justice.