Limitless Opportunities for Crime Prevention

By Al Lenhardt, President and CEO

As we celebrate Crime Prevention Month, violent crime rates are rising for the second year in a row. At times like these, we tend to think of beefing up our scarce police resources or training more volunteers to keep our neighborhoods safe from crime. After all, there’s a lot we can do to keep our communities safe. And helping keeping communities safe is part of the National Crime Prevention Council’s (NCPC) mission.

There are many ways to mark Crime Prevention Month.  In Wisconsin, all nine law enforcement agencies in Brown County are joining together to present McGruff Fest, a fun-filled day that will focus on home and neighborhood safety, personal safety, child safety, fraud and identity theft, and much more. The McGruff Fest will promote the principles of crime prevention by fostering cooperation and communication among all segments of society through hands-on, interactive, and educational demonstrations. The event has been widely promoted by one of its sponsors, Festival Foods, a large supermarket chain that has Tot Spots in its stores where parents can drop off their children in a supervised play area while they shop. The kids in Festival Food markets in Brown County and the surrounding areas will receive coloring pages that feature McGruff and messages promoting the festival. For more information on McGruff Fest, contact Denis Gladwell at dgladwell@mail.de-pere.org.

Other good works in crime prevention are under way in Austin, TX. There, some neighborhoods have been plagued by prostitution, gangs, drug trafficking, street crime, and loitering. A group called “Building Bridges, Brick by Brick” got its start a year ago with support from NCPC, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Faith and Service Education Network. Small groups, known as “bricks,” consist of neighbors, faith-based groups, and representatives of the Austin Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s office. These bricks tackle the divide between rich and poor created by a local highway; the perceived fear and lack of trust that African American and Hispanic residents feel in the presence of law enforcement; and the need for systems and institutions that protect the safety of police officers and residents. These are all laudable goals and the folks in Austin have amply demonstrated their community spirit and dedication to crime prevention. They have shown just what immense good can be done when citizens decide to take back their neighborhoods from crime—one brick at a time! To find out more about Building Bridges, call 512-974-0845.
 
In Indianapolis, IN, a top-level civic task force recently tackled many crime prevention issues and made a number of important recommendations. Their overriding goal was to address the circumstances that cause people to commit violent crimes to make Indianapolis safer and improve the quality of life for everyone in the city. One topic the task force addressed was recidivism, resulting in a recommendation to expand workforce opportunities for ex-offenders and improve their training and opportunities for sustainable work. Another recommendation involved improving health issues, which resulted in a call for adding a drug diversion program for juveniles, allowing these youth to stay in school while being treated for their drug problems. A somewhat related recommendation involved education. It called for in-school suspensions, in which suspended students would stay in school performing additional classroom assignments and community service at school while receiving counseling.
 
What exciting thinking! These recommendations go to show that the opportunities to prevent crime are both reasonable and limitless—and within the reach of everyone committed to crime prevention. 
 
As we celebrate Crime Prevention Month, let’s note what we all can do to help people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. NCPC is here to help. We’re as close as www.ncpc.org. Let’s all work together to continue to “Take A Bite Out Of Crime®.”