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eNewsletter: Volume 29, Number 12 - December 2008
In This Issue
Editorial
Our Top Stories
- Shopping Online? Be Wary of Crime.
- National 2009 Switch to Digital TV a Mixed Blessing for Law Enforcement
McGruff Corner
Resources
Best Wishes for the Holiday Season
As 2008 draws to a close, I am pleased to offer you this latest issue of Catalyst containing exciting and informative articles to protect you and those you work with from online scams this holiday season, as well as how to avoid con artists as we make the February 2009 switch to digital TV.
Shopping Online? Be Wary of Crime.
The holiday season is a hectic time, one that crooks like to take advantage of when they think that consumers aren’t being careful when they shop online.
National 2009 Switch to Digital TV a Mixed Blessing for Law Enforcement
Law enforcement personnel will benefit directly from the switch from analog to digital TV transmission on February 17, 2009. But it’s a double-edged sword: before the switch takes place, conditions may be ripe for consumer fraud.
Keeping Things Cool in L.A.
Scorching summer heat, restless youth, and limited recreational opportunities can present a lethal criminal cocktail in some inner cities. But the mayor of Los Angeles launched a program that paid off in a big way with startling reductions in summer crime.
McGruff Helps Kids Have Halloween Fun—and Stay Safe!
Throughout the nation, kids had a ghoulishly good time at Halloween, decking themselves out in costumes and going door-to-door trick or treating. Halloween is a fun holiday, but it can also be dangerous, so every year police departments across the country use McGruff the Crime Dog to spread the message of Halloween safety to kids in their jurisdiction. This year, McGruff spent some time with the children of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department’s 5th District. At the district’s Halloween party, McGruff gave out reflective Halloween bags and McGruff’s Surprise Party comic books to the more than 100 excited children who attended the event. The kids also got candy, met their local police officers, and greeted McGruff. In Miami, FL, Joel Mesa, of the Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, spent Halloween at the Dadeland Mall giving kids useful crime prevention information and trinkets to kids who were trick or treating through the mall. Other cities, including Sarasota, FL, Bakersfield, CA, Youngstown, OH, and Boston, MA, had Halloween gatherings for kids that featured visits from McGruff, so he could remind them to stay safe from crime, never trick or treat alone, never go into a stranger’s house, and be aware of their surroundings while going door-to-door. —Jeff Broderson
Publications, Training Events, and Other Resources
Worth noting...Reproduction of articles for nonprofit use is granted by the National Crime Prevention Council.
This publication was made possible through Cooperative Funding Agreement No. 2008-DD-BX-K071 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions are those of NCPC or cited sources and do not necessarily reflect U.S. Department of Justice policy or positions. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.
The National Crime Prevention Council is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are welcomed and are tax deductible.
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Copyright © 2008 National Crime Prevention Council. All rights reserved. McGruff the Crime Dog® and "Take A Bite Out Of Crime®" are registered marks of the National Crime Prevention Council.
