Around The Glen

SJ Police Department holding career fair

The San Jose Police Department is holding a career fair Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. at the Police Officers' Association Hall, 1151 N. 4th St.

Police officers, public safety dispatchers and police data specialists will give a presentation about their jobs, and police recruitment officers will provide information about the selection, hiring and training process.

Following the fair, people interested in becoming police officer recruits will be able to practice the physical agility portion of the qualifying test.

For more information or to RSVP, call 408.277.4951 or visit www.sjpd.org.

--Kate Carter

Walk San Jose earns award for safety

San Jose's alternative transportation advocacy organization was given the highest award by national pedestrian coalition America Walks Aug. 18.

Walk San Jose received the 2001 "Best Foot Forward Award" for its success in raising awareness of pedestrian concerns in a vehicle-oriented environment, said organization vice president Russ Westbrook.

"We really have our work cut out for us to help people realize the benefits of walking," he said. "It's really about creating a better place to live."

In the two years since the organization was founded, Westbrook said, it has successfully encouraged city officials to increase funding for the neighborhood traffic calming program and to establish a pedestrian coordinator position. It is now focusing efforts to reduce traffic on one-way neighborhood streets downtown, he said.

Walk San Jose is one of about 20 grassroots pedestrian groups nationally. Its next meeting is Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the McDaniel Room at the Martin Luther King Library, 180 W. San Carlos St. For more information, call Russ Westbrook at 408.295.4715, or visit www.walksanjose.org.

--Kate Carter

San Jose ranked 11th kid-friendliest city

A national environmental organization earlier this month ranked San Jose at 11th among 25 major U.S. cities for providing healthy, safe and stimulating conditions for children.

Zero Population Growth's 2001 Kid-Friendly Cities Report Card gave San Jose a B grade, on a scale from A+ to C-, said organization spokeswoman Rebecca Harris. The city received high marks for having the lowest number of violent crimes and property crimes of the major cities, as well as the lowest percentage of low birth weights, she said. The city also has good air quality, she said.

San Jose could improve in the areas of affordable housing and community life, Harris said. She said the city has among the highest cost of living and among the lowest library use, public program attendance and park acreage per resident in the nation.

The nonprofit agency releases the report every two years and also ranked Sunnyvale, which received an A, and Santa Clara, which received an A-. It does not give rankings to city neighborhoods like Willow Glen, Harris said.

To view the rankings online, visit www.kidfriendlycities.org.

--Kate Carter

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