What Works

McGruff Club a Success in Las Cruces, NM

The Las Cruces Public School system in Las Cruces, NM, has used NCPC’s Teens, Crime, and the Community and Community Works! programs for more than15 years to educate middle school students about crime and violence prevention. The system was interested in finding resources to teach younger children how to stay safe as well. Then, in early 2006, NCPC piloted a new program for elementary school children, McGruff® Club. McGruff Club educates children about personal safety, engages them in projects to make their communities safer, and fosters positive relationships among children and law enforcement. NCPC received funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to pilot McGruff Club in nine Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. 

When Dennis Zamora, the Titles I and IV coordinator for LCPS, learned about McGruff Club, he enthusiastically requested to pilot the program as well. The program complemented their current use of Community Works! and addressed the wide range of issues young children face (including bullying and staying safe in the neighborhood). Because the program was new, the initial plan was to implement McGruff Club in 4th grade classes.

Mr. Zamora organized a training session in late May 2006 that was attended by 48 fourth-grade teachers, counselors, and administrators from 17 of the system’s 25 elementary schools. Four officers from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department also accepted the invitation to attend the training event. The participants were engaged and receptive to the program, but by lunch time dissention was growing. “Why are we doing this program only in fourth grade? All of our students need this information,” they said. Counselors and administrators advocated their point, saying that children need to learn safety information while they are young and need to have those messages reinforced year after year. The group also stressed that the program needed to be implemented in all elementary schools, so that all children would learn the same skills. One counselor promoted the formation of a McGruff Club planning committee, whose members would meet over the summer to plan how the program would be implemented in grades 1–4. A sign-up sheet was passed around, and several individuals joined the committee.   

Mr. Zamora, recognizing the demand for the program, authorized it to be implemented in grades 1–4.  Although resources to support the program were scarce, Mr. Zamora was determined to respond to the needs of the schools. “The school administrators, counselors, and teachers saw the value of this program and were committed to it,” he said. “At the district level, we wanted to make this work.”

The individuals on the McGruff Club committee met over the summer and began implementing McGruff Club in fall 2006. The program was facilitated primarily by counselors who worked with all grades within the school. The counselors found that McGruff Club activities were easy to implement, that children enjoyed the interactive lessons, and that children were learning to manage bullying, conflict, and dangers in the neighborhood. Mr. Zamora, on hearing the positive feedback from the counselors, decided to pursue a plan of implementing McGruff Club in all 25 elementary schools by the following school year. He reallocated funding and hired two new counselors to implement McGruff Club. One counselor focused on the program exclusively, traveling to eight elementary schools and facilitated the program. The second counselor spent 80 percent of her time facilitating McGruff Club activities in elementary schools. By spring 2007, 16 elementary schools had implemented the program.

One of the goals of McGruff Club is to foster relationships among children and law enforcement. Officers from Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office had attended the McGruff Club training session and offered to support the schools implementing the program. As the school year began, they received many requests to make McGruff appearances at elementary schools that were implementing McGruff Club. Mr. Zamora learned that the McGruff the Crime Dog® costume owned by the sheriff’s office was old and not in the best condition. Mr. Zamora found the money to purchase brand new McGruff and Scruff® costumes for the sheriff’s department. “Our school system is committed to working with the sheriff’s office to make McGruff Club a success,” Mr. Zamora said. 

The two costumes were unveiled at a Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education meeting on March 27, 2007. During the presentation, U.S. District Attorney Susana Martinez spoke about the community’s commitment to protecting children, and staff from NCPC, the sheriff’s department, and Mr. Zamora spoke about the progress of McGruff Club in the school system. Thirty second and third graders with their families filled the meeting room. Staff members from Governor Bill Richardon’s and Congressman Stevan Pearce’s offices also attended. After the presentation, the children and their families had dinner with McGruff, and the children received certificates for their participation in the program.

The school system’s success to date can be attributed to staff at all levels committing to use McGruff Club to educate children about safety. A second element that led to their success was their willingness to put resources—both financial and personal time and effort—into growing and sustaining this program. The school system’s outreach to the larger community also contributed to their success. By involving the sheriff’s office from the start, they gained a valuable partner for implementation. The presentation to the Board of Education and local government officials will help build future support for the program. Communities looking to begin crime prevention programs can take these steps to build support for their programs and increase their chances for success.