A Remarkable Journey

The road has taken us to a better place, a place where we could put our ingenuity to work, a place where we could ask what would be best for the public, for potential crime prevention victims, and for crime prevention practitioners.

By Alfonso E. Lenhardt, President and CEO

NCPC President and CEO Alfonso E. Lenhardt has been confirmed by the United States Senate to be U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania.

It has been my great honor to serve as president and chief executive officer of the National Crime Prevention Council for the last five years.

It has been a remarkable journey. Together with NCPC’s distinguished partners at the U.S. Department of Justice and in crime prevention, law enforcement, and the private sector, we have made great strides in advancing the knowledge and practice of preventing crime.

Most of all, we have seen the decline of violent crime in our country, a drop that can partly be contributed to the work of all those engaged in the many facets of preventing crime. As I write this, the Washington Post has just reported on the technology that is enabling the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police to target hot spots before there is crime and keep violence from taking place. Crime prevention has entered the mainstream not just of policing, but of public discourse, and we have played a significant role in making that happen.

I am proud that during my tenure, NCPC’s dedicated staff has confronted emerging crime trends with sharp intelligence and a determined commitment. We have helped keep the Nation safe from identity theft and senior citizens safe from telemarketing scams, and we have encouraged cutting edge programs for children and youth.

Perhaps we have been at our best with our programs against bullying and cyberbullying and cyberbullying’s latest incarnation, sexting. These scourges of young life cannot be tolerated, and I am most proud of our Circle of Respect initiative. The Circle of Respect, our most ambitious campaign yet, asks teens and adults to reject bullying as a rite of passage and step into a circle where friendships and individual, family, and community relationships are based on mutual respect.

At times over the last five years the road has been winding. We didn’t always know precisely where it would take us. But in the end, it always took us to a better place, a place where we could put our ingenuity to work, a place where we could ask what would be best for the public, for potential crime prevention victims, and for crime prevention practitioners. After all, our mission is to be the nation’s leader in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. I think we have done that well.

In closing, as I bid you farewell, I am reminded of a truth enunciated by Plato. “Justice will only exist,” he said, “where those not affected by injustice are filled with the same amount of indignation as those offended.” I am firmly of the belief that in all of NCPC’s good work, we have placed ourselves in the role of the offended—indeed, have had to—to develop such fine programs to protect those who may be at risk.