News From NCPC

NCPC Announces National Conference PDIs

The National Crime Prevention Council will offer the following Professional Development Institutes (PDI) at the 8th National Conference on Preventing Crime on Tuesday, October, 2, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., in Atlanta, GA.

Top 10 Strategies for Making Effective Presentations and Enhancing Website Success
This session will provide participants with helpful tools for preparing effective community presentations. Whether making a successful PowerPoint presentation or facilitating a group session, learn creative ways to enhance content through design and format.  Participants will learn about topic selection, audience analysis, speech organization, research, delivery, evaluation, listening, and group problem-solving skills.  During the web page development session, participants will learn basic to intermediate web page design, maintenance, authoring software language, Macromedia products, and a wide variety of other web technology topics. Demonstrations will include creating, editing, formatting text and design, and inserting graphics. Participants will be introduced to Adobe and Microsoft Suites along with photo enhancement and image technology for creating and printing brochures, fliers, and newsletters.
Presenters: Barbara A. Nelson, Fox Valley Technical College, Neenah, Wisconsin; Devin Rieckmann, Fox Valley Technical College, Neenah, Wisconsin

Teaching Children About Safety
Children need skills to resolve conflicts without fighting, to be safe while using the Internet, to manage bullying, to pick positive friends who don’t engage in dangerous behaviors, and to make responsible decisions that keep themselves and their communities safe.  Without these skills, children may resort to violence to deal with problems and may be persuaded to use drugs, join gangs, and commit criminal acts.  NCPC has developed a new educational resource to teach children (ages 6–10) the life skills and behaviors that will keep them safe.  This PDI for law enforcement, community center staff, educators, and others will present this new curriculum. Participants will learn how to develop age-appropriate messages, conduct activities that engage children in learning, and partner with schools to create opportunities for teaching safety skills.
Presenters: Joselle Shea, Manager, National Crime Prevention Council, Washington, DC; Rahniesha Lewis, Program Associate, National Crime Prevention Council, Washington, DC

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in a School Setting
The essential CPTED components – natural surveillance, natural access control, and territoriality – can be effectively applied to schools and surrounding environments. By focusing CPTED concepts in those areas, improvements are more likely to be both cost-efficient and effective.  This participant-interactive professional development institute will focus on the application of CPTED principles in a school setting and how these principles may change the dynamics, behavior, and activity in the school. This training is designed for school administrators, teachers, staff, law enforcement officers, supervisors, school resource officers, school security, and crime prevention practitioners of all levels of experience.
Presenter: Rob Otterstatter, Senior Trainer, National Crime Prevention Council, Washington, DC

Human Trafficking: Not in My Back Yard. Think Again!
Between 20,000 and 40,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Local law enforcement, often unaware of the realities of human trafficking in their jurisdictions, can no longer afford to remain uninformed.  This training will cover the scope of the human trafficking problem including the difference between smuggling and trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act that identifies the forms of human trafficking as either forced labor or commercial sex exploitation; the use of force, fraud, or coercion to control victims; how to recognize indicators of human trafficking; how to recognize victims that are vulnerable and not willing to self-report; and strategies for preventing human trafficking. A panel discussion led by members of a local human trafficking task force will provide real examples of how to address this issue at the community level including special investigation techniques, how to report suspicious activities, who to train, how to ask the right questions, collaboration between law enforcement and non-government groups for both prevention and intervention, and how to coordinate and provide safe housing for victims.
Presenter: Bill Micklus, Director of Training, Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, Woodbury, MN

Methamphetamine: A Comprehensive Community Approach to Prevention
Methamphetamine use, production, and distribution has become a serious problem across the country.  The prevalence of methamphetamines in a community can create unique and often overwhelming problems for law enforcement, substance abuse practitioners, and child welfare systems.  In order to successfully address this complex issue, systems must work together to create solutions and supports.  Representatives from law enforcement, substance abuse prevention and treatment, child welfare, and communities are encouraged to attend this unique learning, networking, and discussion symposium.  The session will include a morning panel discussion with representatives from a methamphetamine task force in northern Georgia.  Participants will learn of specific, local approaches to comprehensively address the methamphetamine problem.  During the afternoon participants will break out into specific professional groups to engage in facilitated discussions.  In order to ensure participant diversity, registration will be limited to a minimum number of representatives from each group.
Panelists: Representatives from the Douglas County, GA, Meth Task Force

Neighborhood Watch Toolkit Training
The Neighborhood Watch Toolkit training provides formal training for law enforcement and community members on a variety of topics, including volunteer management and partnerships. The tools and templates contained in the toolkit can be easily replicated. The training is applicable for all levels of Neighborhood Watch experience and each class participant will receive a toolkit.
Presenters: Emily Early, Neighborhood Watch Training Coordinator, National Sheriffs’ Association; Evelyn Cahalen, Retired Captain, Montgomery County, MD, Police Department; John Matthews, Executive Director, Community Safety Institute

There is a separate registration fee of $100 for a conference attendee or $125 for a non-conference attendee for each PDI. Please indicate on the registration form if you plan to attend a PDI. Attendance is limited, so please register early. Lunch is on your own. In the event of a cancellation, you will be notified by September 8, 2007.

In partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council, Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) will offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to participants.
The following reflects the number of credits available and costs for both the Professional Development Institute (PDI) training sessions and the 8th National Conference on Preventing Crime.

Online registration for the 8th National Conference on Preventing Crime, Professional Development Institutes, and CEUs is available at www.ncpc.org/NationalConference2007.

Featured Licensed Product

The McGruff Safe Kids Identification Kit is 15 years old this year. It has become a classic in the realm of child safety/educational products, thanks to the power of McGruff.  The kit’s success hinges on its soft, creative approach to a frightening parental concern. In addition to the fingerprint ink, the kit contains safety rules for parents and children. Instructive material is presented in a non-threatening, game-like framework. The most important objective attained by McGruff’s ID kit is to prepare children to play and live safely. 

The success of this child safety kit encouraged Boerner, Inc., to develop other child/family safety kits, including: McGruff Safe Kids Identification Kit (Spanish version), McGruff Internet Safety Kit for Kids, McGruff Halloween Safety Kit, McGruff Safer Seniors Kit, and McGruff Kids on Wheels Bike Safety Kit.

The sales of these McGruff kits have been enhanced by the cooperative marketing efforts of other McGruff licensees, including the McGruff Specialty Products Office, Geiger Brothers, and Robotronics, Inc. Some of the long-term supporters of the McGruff kits are local law enforcement officials, local and national financial institutions, and thousands of other businesses and organizations nationwide.

For more information, visit www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com or call 800-288-3344.