Prevention Works

United We Serve: Serving for Safety

Hurricane season is upon us, and while we are much better at predicting, tracking, and preparing for storms than we were a few decades ago, the aftermath of these natural disasters is unchanged—destruction, casualties, and profound disruption to our daily living. Time and again, however, research shows that people who believe themselves to be “prepared” for disasters often aren’t as prepared as they think. The same goes for our safety and security.

We often think we have taken enough precautions to thwart the criminals among us, but the daily crime logs tell a different story. Preventing the small disasters that don’t grab the national headlines— a burglary, an assault, the looting of a bank account— needs the same kind of education as the larger disasters looming on the evening news. We can prepare for these small disasters much the same way we prepare for the bigger ones when we nail plywood over our windows and sandbag levees.

This summer the Obama administration has launched United We Serve—an initiative to tap into the American attributes of neighborliness, giving, and volunteering. So far United We Serve has highlighted the topics of education, the environment, and the health of our citizens. This week (August 24-30) the United We Serve initiative is emphasizing safety and security. At the National Crime Prevention Council we emphasize safety and security every day though our support of Neighborhood Watch programs that engage citizens to do their part to make their communities safe, our children and youth safety resources that prepare families for the threats that face children as they grow from toddlers to teens to young adults, and our commitment to community-wide crime prevention, victim services, and other justice programs.

Go to NCPC’s website for information and resources to help you and your community become safer and more secure. Then, visit the United We Serve website to learn about safety and security volunteer opportunities in your community and to access user-friendly toolkits to help you start your own. Through United We Serve and NCPC, ordinary citizens can make extraordinary contributions to strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for those most in need and at risk. The United We Serve effort is dedicated to making service not just a “sometimes” thing but a way of life for every American. While there is no questioning our capacity to deliver a “pound” of response, isn’t it time for an “ounce” of preparation and prevention?

How Will You Respond to the Worsening Homeless Problem?

Recent news stories have brought to light another issue for law enforcement—attacks on the homeless. Estimates are that the homeless population has swelled to more than one million nationally, with almost 50 percent lacking shelter. Moreover, the National Coalition for the Homeless reports a rise in violence against the homeless, with at least 880 unprovoked attacks and 244 fatalities. Most of the attacks were brutal—a man in Cleveland savagely beaten in a group attack, a man in Los Angeles set on fire, a woman pushed down a steep staircase and another raped. The Coalition reports that most of these attacks were committed by males aged 25 or younger and that in the last 10 years 58 percent of attackers were teenagers.

How should we respond to this growing problem? While many cities have taken effective steps to address the problem, homeless persons have fallen prey to enforcement sweeps and new laws with restrictions on sleeping, sitting, or asking for money. In a recent news article, Los Angeles was accused of criminalizing homelessness because of its harsh police enforcement, which includes handing out tickets to the homeless for minor offenses and jailing them in some cases. In Las Vegas, a public crackdown on encampments has forced the homeless to move out of the parks and off the streets. Feeling threatened by police and other assailants, many have gone literally underground to live in flood channels. Advocates for the homeless have attributed attacks on these vulnerable citizens to the city’s enforcement posture and the attitude it creates.

In contrast to these enforcement strategies, other cities have turned to businesses for help and have enacted harsher laws and penalties for the attackers. Maryland has passed stiffer penalties in its expanded hate-crime law to protect the homeless. Washington, DC, has added a similar measure and a related bill was recently introduced in Congress. Similar proposals are being considered in other states. Portland, OR, has taken a different approach—one that focuses on sidewalks that are clean, welcoming, and accessible to all. The city’s emphasis on “Sidewalk Access for All” has provided better services and shelter for the homeless. Businesses work collaboratively with city agencies and other nonprofits to make their vision of accessibility a reality. Partnerships between merchants, advocates for the homeless, and city agencies have been key to this strategy.

We all know that some people are homeless, and can probably recall hearing that the numbers are projected to increase, but have probably spent little time thinking about what that means for our local community and neighborhoods. For those of us who live in urban areas, we may have passed a homeless person on the street without a word or thought as we hurriedly passed by to “get somewhere.” We may have gotten angry when they asked us for money, projecting our own worries about instability on them as they are easy, visible targets. Or perhaps we reported them to police or put pressure on city officials to address the problem.

If you’re like me, you may have thought about what you would do if you lost your home, your job, your health—especially when we see our neighbors and friends, “rich” or “poor,” forced to deal with one or more of these issues. As our communities begin to receive and implement programs with Recovery Act funds, the reality is that we need to effectively respond. Partnerships and vision were key for Portland. For Maryland and Washington, DC, stiffer penalties for attackers provided an answer. How we respond will be different for each of our communities, but the reality is that we must respond. The problem is not going away. It is growing. What will we do? For more information about crime prevention strategies, visit ncpc.org. For more information about the status of the homeless and recommendations for your community, visit http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/index.html#reports.

Can you Twitter Crime Away?

With the explosion of Twitter and other social media sites, I have often wondered why people have felt the need to share every aspect of their personal lives online. I figured maybe people just want to brag about being out to dinner or a Hawaiian vacation. Many of us in the crime prevention field believe that we, as a society, are sharing too much personal information as the social media revolution continues to unfold.

Then, about a month ago, a Mesa Arizona man said he believed his tweets that his family was "preparing to head out of town” or had "another 10 hours of driving ahead" or had finally "made it to Kansas City" were the clues that burglars needed to rob his house.

I still have concerns about the number of people who don’t take TMI (too much information) to heart but I ponder a new question today. If social media sites can help the criminals, can the “good guys” Twitter crime way?

Police departments and Neighborhood Watch groups are starting to recognize the utility of social media sites as another crime prevention tool. Just think about it. If we sign up to our watch group’s designated social media site, we can give our neighbors instant access to information that may make a difference between being victimized and escaping unscathed. One tweet to your neighbors about a strange person peering into a neighbor’s house in the area or a post on Facebook about an attempted child abduction can instantly put hundreds of your neighbors on alert and get them all working together to help law enforcement apprehend the suspects.

I know there are still many out there who are refusing to join the social media revolution, but with law enforcement personnel being strained by budget cuts and the struggling economy keeping us at home more often, embracing online networks as prevention tools may help us form a deeper connection with our neighbors and local law enforcement while helping to prevent crime.

If you haven’t asked how you can prevent crime and get involved in your community, start now. You can get all the information you need on the National Crime Prevention Council’s website.

The Bucket List

“Live life to the fullest,” “Live like there’s no tomorrow,” “Live each day as if it were your last,’’ — our society is filled with a number of catch phrases designed to inspire us all to take nothing for granted and seize the day! Unfortunately, we don’t all take heed of this advice until our days are numbered. Enter the Bucket List—things to do before you “kick the bucket,” the theme of the movie The Bucket List, in which Morgan and Jack travel the world in search of fun and adventure because they believe they are about to die. What would your bucket list look like if you knew or just believed you were going to die? What if you were young? Would you head off into the wild beyond, like Morgan and Jack, or would you abuse drugs and engage in other unsafe behaviors like so many of your peers today?

The perception of time is everything and unfortunately, a number of teens don’t believe they have much time left. According to a recent study conducted by Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, nearly 15 percent of teenagers believe that they are going to die young. Consequently, these feelings of hopelessness cause teens to engage in dangerous behaviors because they feel that they have nothing to lose. Dr. Borowsky’s study found that over seven years, adolescents who thought they would die young were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS, attempt suicide, and participate in fights that resulted in serious injuries.

Hope for our children’s future, requires us all to ensure that they believe and behave as if they will indeed have one. To do this we must offer them guidance and teach them the necessary skills that promote a safe and long-lasting life. NCPC offers various resources, such as our Community Works curriculum, that educate young people about the cost and consequences of crime and encourages youth to analyze situations, exercise reason and critical thinking skills, effectively communicate ideas, and exhibit positive behaviors. If you have advice or program and resource recommendations for our young people, leave a comment below.