Thursday morning at the Police Memorial Building, Sheriff John Rutherford (at the podium) — joined by community leaders and pastors from all faiths and denominations — announced the creation of the Ready4Work program, an initiative to recruit more mentors for a program which helps those who have been in jail stay out of jail. Ready4Work is a locally-based mentoring program, which links ex-offenders with clergy who guide them through the process of readjusting to life and becoming a productive member of society. The program, led by Operation New Hope, has reduced recidivism locally to 5 percent compared to the national average of more than 70 percent.