Prevention Works

Girls and Gangs: The Hidden Risks of Dating a Gang Member

Many teenage girls are attracted to what society calls a “bad boy,” finding this image and lifestyle exciting. This attraction can sometimes lead to a girl dating a person who may be involved with a gang. Our society often glamorizes this lifestyle in movies, television shows, and music videos. Mass media has a way of conveying a message that makes this way of life attractive which can entice a young girl’s desire to date a gang member for all of the wrong reasons. However, some girls may not fully understand the repercussions of this decision and how this association can affect their lives.

Guys involved with gangs may appear to be fun and attractive, but the party never lasts. Often times dating a gang member can lead to gang membership, gang involvement, and abuse. According to a recent study by researchers at RTI International, teenage girls whose boyfriends are gang members are nearly twice as likely to have unwanted pregnancies as those not dating boys involved with gangs. Girls whose boyfriends spent time in jail were also more likely to become pregnant. Along with unwanted pregnancies, other associated issues that stem from dating a gang member range from:  domestic violence, gambling, violent behavior, and involvement with drugs and alcohol. There are many negative outcomes which come from not only being associated with a gang member but also being romantically involved with a gang member. This type of unhealthy relationship puts girls at risk of losing friends, being estranged from family members, performing poorly in school, and even jeopardizing their own life. It is important for girls to educate themselves on the risks associated with dating a gang member so that the next time a “bad boy” catches your eye, you can ask yourself “is he worth it?”
Tips for Girls:
·    Avoid associating and starting a romantic relationship with a known gang member.
·    Get involved in extra-curricular activities e.g. sports, clubs, volunteer work, a parttimejob,faith groups. Etc.
·    Maintain an honest relationship with your parents by keeping lines of communication open.
·    Seek a mentor or a positive role model that you can look up to.
·    Set life goals and aspirations for yourself (e.g. attending college, becoming an athlete, getting good grades, etc.)
·    Report gang violence and/ or activity to your parents, school administrator, mentor, or your local police department.
·    If you are being abused in any way verbally, physically, sexually, etc. report it to an adult you can trust and your local police department.

Resources for Girls:
The National Center for Victims of Crime can be contacted for referrals to local services anywhere in the country. Call Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 8:30 pm EST 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255).

The National Crime Prevention Council:
Project Safe Neighborhoods: Girls in Gangs
http://www.ncpc.org/programs/project-safe-neighborhoods-1/girls-in-gangs-1

Teen Dating Violence
http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/violent-crime/teen_dating_violence.pdf

Digital Copier Identity Theft

In our office we have a copier that can make your copy into a PDF document that you can receive via email at your desk.  It’s a really great feature but recently I saw how that feature could turn potentially ugly with the push of a few wrong buttons.

A person accidentally sent a PDF copy of his license and social security card to a few people in the office because he mistakenly highlighted more names than his own.  This could have been an identity theft situation that would have cost this person a lot of time and money to reclaim the stolen identity.

But the problem doesn’t stop there.  If this person was using a digital copier, there is another risk that has nothing to do with human error.  Did you know that digital copiers store what you’ve copied on a hard drive that if not wiped clean, can be retrieved when that copier is re-sold or junked after it is no longer useful to the company?

It is scary to think about how much personal and company data could be on your organization’s copier hard drive.  Fortunately, there are some ways you can try to protect that information by working with your IT staff.  An article by Consumeraffairs.com has some easy to follow steps you can take in your office.

As scary as this is, the number one way people become victims of identity theft is still through their own lapses in judgment.  Don’t be careless with your personal information.  Learn how to be identity smart with the brochure,Identity Smart: A Guide for Consumers to Help Protect Against Identity Theft, by LifeLock and the National Crime Prevention Council. 
Ten simple tips to secure your identity:

• Do not give out personal information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know with whom you’re dealing.
 

• Shred all documents, including preapproved credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements you are discarding, and other financial information.
 

• Protect your computer from Internet intruders—use firewalls. Also use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date. Create hard-to-guess passwords that cannot be found in any dictionary. Select passwords with at least eight characters and that include a mix of numbers and both uppercase and lowercase letters.
 

• Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry. Take only what you’ll actually need. Make a list of all your credit card account numbers and bank account numbers with customer service phone numbers, and keep it in a safe place.
 

• Do not put your Social Security number on your checks or your credit receipts. If a business requests your Social Security number, give an alternate number.
 

• Be careful when using ATM machines and long-distance phone cards. Someone may look over your shoulder and get your PIN numbers.  You also have to be careful of ATM skimmer machines.  Do not use an ATM if it looks like it’s been tampered with.
 

• Never submit your credit card number to a website unless it is encrypted on a secured site. Look at the bottom of the screen for a padlock symbol. Do not select to save your information on the site for future transactions.
 

• Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if bills don’t arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit account and changed your address.
 

• Cancel all credit cards you have not used in the last six months. Open credit is a prime target for an identity thief.  Also, you might consider signing up for a monitoring service so you can be alerted to any unusual activity.
 

• Order your credit report at least twice a year from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax (www.equifax.com), Experian (www.experian.com), and Trans Union (www.transunion.com). The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to get one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once per year. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com. Correct all mistakes on your credit report in writing. Send a letter to the credit reporting agency identifying the problems item by item, include a copy of the credit report, and send the letter return receipt requested.

Happy 30th Birthday, McGruff!

In the seventies America was perceived to be in a malaise where nothing worked and nothing could be done about it. We had just had our future rewritten due to the oil embargo; “stagflation” was a word on every pundit’s lips, and nothing seemed to be able to be done about our social issues, especially crime.

Thirty years ago this month a perfect confluence of need, ideas, and the people with the passion for those ideas came together.  Policymakers, community members, law enforcement, organizations, business leaders, and, significantly, the Department of Justice determined that ordinary citizens could be important and essential factors in the fight against crime and it was time to spread that message.  Enter one Carl M. Loeb, Jr.—businessman and philanthropist—and a host of other like-minded citizens whose attitude of optimism and activism resulted in McGruff, the Crime Dog and the Take A Bite Out of Crime Campaign ®. What started with an idea of getting people focused and involved in community crime prevention has evolved into a movement and an agency (the National Crime Prevention Council) that provide many services to the nation. You know McGruff for his award-winning public service advertising and his groundbreaking and comprehensive crime prevention initiatives for cities and communities. He is also the face behind hundreds of ready-to-use crime prevention publications, this award winning website and this one, and expert training for law enforcement personnel. Whether he is needed for a Boys and Girls Club in Las Cruces, New Mexico or a small police force in upstate New York— McGruff is there.

Although the McGruff story started with a good idea and an even better attitude, others’ contributions— partners, current and former staff, law enforcement, the Ad Council, Saatchi & Saatchi advertising, Causeway Agency, community members, and monumentally, the U.S. Department of Justice—made the National Crime Prevention Council what it is today. All have contributed in significant ways to make our communities safer.

Thirty years later, it’s not enough to know that the vast majority of Americans know and recognize McGruff. What’s important is that the overwhelming majority of our fellow citizens trust his crime prevention message. That’s a tribute to the vision of the founders and all who have kept NCPC going in communities across the country for the past thirty years. Happy Birthday, McGruff! Good Dog! Good Dog!

Click here for 30 ideas to help celebrate McGruff’s 30th.