FAQ

What is Celebrate Safe Communities?

Celebrate Safe Communities (CSC) is a U.S. Department of Justice-supported initiative designed to help spotlight communities’ crime prevention efforts, enhance public awareness of vital crime prevention and safety messages, and recruit year-round support for ongoing prevention activities that help keep neighborhoods safe from crime. This initiative  will help local communities organize safety-focused events. Local CSC activities held in October to coincide with Crime Prevention Month will help Americans of all ages recognize that a safer community is no accident and that crime prevention is everyone’s business every day of the year.

What activities are considered part of Celebrate Safe Communities?

The decision about local CSC activities is up to the local community and will vary according to local needs and resources. Many jurisdictions will choose to organize a community-wide safety education fair and celebratory event on a weekend day or evening. The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the two CSC partners, suggest localities also consider a range of activities involving participants of different ages, including such events as a school assembly or contest, a park cleanup or other community service project, a Neighborhood Watch membership recruitment drive, an awards program to recognize outstanding volunteers, or an open house at the law enforcement agency or fire house. In addition to hosting events in the community, local CSC partners can also ask the media to help promote crime prevention and safety messages and distribute tips to residents of all ages.

When will Celebrate Safe Communities be held in 2010?

October is Crime Prevention Month. The national CSC partners encourage communities to launch local CSC activities the first Thursday through the first Saturday of October (October 7-9, 2010). Community events can be held during any or all of these days or evenings and throughout October, depending on the needs and interests of the local law enforcement agency and their community partners.

The second week of October is also Fire Prevention Week. October is Domestic Violence Prevention Month. CSC helps communities join forces to focus on each of these opportunities to educate Americans and motivate them to get involved in year-round prevention activities.

How do I get involved?

You can get involved by planning a local event! Visit www.celebratesafecommunities.org to learn more about CSC, find help to get started, and to register local initiatives.

Who should organize a local CSC event?

Law enforcement plays a vital role in designing and implementing effective local initiatives. However, law enforcement cannot do it alone. City officials, civic organizations, community volunteers, neighborhood associations, business owners, faith-based congregations, and youth-focused organizations should each be recruited to help support local events and ongoing crime prevention and related safety programs.

How can the national CSC partners help my local CSC initiative?

The National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Crime Prevention Council are partnering with the Department of Justice to produce and provide local communities with CSC event planning advice, tools for educating residents of all ages, a guide on recruiting and retaining community safety volunteers, a kit to help build awareness of CSC through the local news media, an array of promotional ideas, and an opportunity to apply for an award recognizing outstanding local CSC initiatives. To receive assistance through this initiative, your community must register and provide a brief description of planned activities.

Where can I find more information?

NSA and NCPC encourage law enforcement and their community partners to visit www.celebratesafecommunities.org for more information, including how to find a registered CSC initiative near your community.

Why should I register my event?

Registered local CSC initiatives get the opportunity to share their community’s efforts, locate tips to help plan successful local activities, and sign up for updates as promotional tips, tools, and other resources become available. Registered CSC initiatives will also be invited to participate in free webinars designed to help organize and promote local CSC activities, download guides to recruiting volunteers, and link to a kit of downloadable media outreach tools.

Only registered CSC initiatives are eligible to apply for the annual award recognizing outstanding CSC initiatives. Basic information on registered local CSC initiatives will be posted online, providing an opportunity to demonstrate your city or town’s strong commitment to supporting community safety and crime prevention.

Who should register an event?

Most CSC initiatives will be registered by a law enforcement agency coordinating local activities. Community organizations working with local law enforcement agencies can also register local initiatives. These may include Neighborhood Watch groups, schools, military installations, local government agencies, youth-serving organizations, faith-based congregations, businesses, and civic organizations. Community partners registering CSC initiatives will be asked to provide contact information for their local law enforcement agency partner.

How do I register?

The national CSC partners have posted on www.celebratesafecommunities.org an online registration form and detailed information telling how communities can get involved in Celebrate Safe Communities celebrations. Check it out!

What will set this celebration apart from other national celebrations?

All efforts that recognize the importance of law enforcement-community collaboration are helpful. CSC will be promoted nationwide by two law enforcement-related organizations (the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Crime Prevention Council). CSC will harness the communication power of McGruff the Crime Dog® to highlight Crime Prevention Month, demonstrate how local law enforcement works with other community safety-related agencies (fire, emergency management, etc.), and educate community partners about how they can watch out and help out in the fight against crime.

We’ve organized block parties and community safety fairs in the past. How is this different?

CSC provides your community an opportunity to continue to sponsor these important community outreach events in a way that helps promote a year round focus on resident-law enforcement partnerships that help create safer places to live, learn, work, and play. Through CSC, participants at block parties can be recruited to join Neighborhood Watch groups, teens from the youth center can be mobilized for a graffiti paint-out project, businesses can join together to support a street beautification project, faith-based leaders can talk about community and domestic violence prevention, and parents at the education fair can attend a presentation on keeping children safe on the Internet. CSC helps communities define prevention-focused approaches to public safety as the way their community does business all year.

Our community can’t schedule the local CSC celebration  for the First Week of October. Can you still help me?

Certainly! Community events related to CSC are welcome throughout the month of October. We hope that CSC events in your community will help encourage prevention-focused public safety partnerships that are active throughout the year.

How can CSC help my community recruit support from local partners?

CSC partners have posted a guide at www.celebratesafecommunities.org for recruiting support from businesses, civic organizations, faith-based groups, and a variety of government agencies for local CSC activities.

Is there a logo for the event?

Yes. You can find it at www.celebratesafecommunities.org.

Can we use NSA’s “Boris the Burglar” on our local CSC promotional materials?

Yes! Visit www.sheriffs.org, the NSA website, for guidelines.

Can we use McGruff the Crime Dog® on promotional materials for our local CSC events?

Yes! Visit www.ncpc.org, the NCPC website, for guidelines.

Why did NSA and NCPC choose October for the event?

Crime Prevention Month in October is a natural time to promote individual and collective action to reduce crime and enhance the safety of all of our communities.

Will there be awards for outstanding local CSC events?

Stay tuned to www.celebratesafecommunities.org for more information. CSC efforts will be promoted through our site, at conferences, in reports, and through outreach to the media.

What national partners are involved in Celebrate Safe Communities?

National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) – Now in its 68th year, NSA is an organization of 3,084 sheriffs and a membership of more than 20,000. Since 1972, NSA has managed the Neighborhood Watch program and has acted as the primary source for information and technical assistance for local law enforcement agencies as it relates to Neighborhood Watch. As the national authority on Neighborhood Watch, NSA plays a vital role in the development and dissemination of training and resources for law enforcement agencies to use in training local Neighborhood Watch groups and law enforcement officers.

National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) – founded in 1982, NCPC’s goals are to protect children and youth, partner with government and law enforcement, promote crime prevention basics to the public, and respond to emerging crime trends. NCPC leads the National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign featuring McGruff the Crime Dog® and his signature call to action, “Take A Bite Out Of Crime®.” NCPC produces public service advertising messages; provides publications, kits, and brochures; delivers training; collaborates with the 400 member organizations in the Crime Prevention Coalition of America; maintains award-winning websites; and delivers programs.

NSA and NCPC will be recruiting a variety of corporate partners, national organizations, government agencies, and other partners to support this national celebration of successful law enforcement-community collaboration in the fight against crime.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, has long supported crime prevention partnerships and initiatives, including many led by NSA, NCPC, and other national organizations. BJA is funding the CSC initiative.