Prevention Works

WHAT’S YOUR RESOLUTION?

We all know the drill. 2010 is coming to a close and right about now is the time for those beloved, yet often-forgotten New Year’s resolutions. Lose those last five (or fifty) pounds, quit smoking, work less, play harder; whatever your vice is,  now is the time to choose to get rid of it and move forward! The season is alive and well with goal-driven energy and it is only right that we make the best of it.

Though most resolutions are motivated by personal reward, why not try something new this year and consider not only how you can help yourself but also how you can support your local community and address an issue that is a concern for everyone. Ask yourself in 2011, what can I do to prevent crime in my community? What can I do to help the youth I pass everyday stay out of trouble? Even the smallest acts of service are effective in crime prevention. To help get you started, try some of these ideas:

• Become more active in the community by participating in or starting a Neighborhood Watch program
• Ensure your children know how to handle bullying situations. You can watch NCPC’s “Samantha’s Choice” video for a simple conversation-starter
• Volunteer at a community center to conduct activities for youth

Whatever activity you choose, make sure to engage your own interests so that it is fun for you. As many of us know, it’s easier to stick to those resolutions that we find enjoyable. The important thing to remember is that the new year is a new opportunity to do something bigger and better than we did before and what better way to start the year off right than to do our part to prevent crime and be the change we want to see in society.

December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

As we begin the month of December the first thing we think of and hear is Holiday music, it is the start of a festive month when office parties are held and we gather with friends and family to celebrate; and December ends with the New Year celebration, makes December probably the biggest alcohol consumption month of the year.  It is also the month that has been designated as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month to bring awareness to the national problem of driving while impaired with alcohol and/or drugs.

 Having been involved in law enforcement most of my adult life; I have seen firsthand the horrors caused by drunk/drugged drivers where innocent people are hurt or, even worse, killed by someone who was driving while impaired.  One case I remember was a young girl who was involved in a drunken driving accident in which an individual left a local bar, where he had spent several hours consuming alcohol, got in his vehicle and drove home. During his drive of less than a mile, he made an improper turn right into the path of the girl’s vehicle and caused a serious accident. Luckily no one was seriously injured or killed but it caused a lot of damage and could have been much worse. The individual was charged with drunk driving, it was his third charge in as many years and he lost his license for nine months and was fined several hundred dollars. The young lady walked away with scrapes and bruises but had great difficulty getting behind the wheel for a long time. As with all drunk/drugged drivers it could have been avoided but the person chose to operate his vehicle rather than have someone pick him up or take a cab the short distance he had to go. This incident, and thousands more like it or worse happen all over the country every year, the only difference with this one, it involved my daughter.

So, as the holidays approach and the festivities begin, use good judgment if you are going to partake in an alcoholic beverage. Even better, why not make this an alcohol free season? If you do drink, please don’t drive. Have a designated driver, call a cab or, better yet, have a nonalcoholic drink instead. Yes, have a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and remember that the life you save may be your own or some innocent family or friend.

Crime Prevention More Than A Holiday Activity

With the holidays rapidly approaching, our thoughts turn to buying, giving and receiving gifts, visiting friends and family, and sharing delightful culinary experiences.  However, there are others whose thoughts are occupied with unattended electronic/appliance-filled houses or apartments, distracted shoppers with extra cash in a purse or wallet, or the next “con job” in the name of Christmas charity.

Statistics show that crime usually increases during and after the holiday season and the reason is very simple.  More people with more cash, gifts, gift cards, etc. are “out and about” which presents more opportunities for the criminal looking for an easy “score.” Of course, the happy shopper is rushing around, stressed out, absent-mindedly looking for last-minute gifts, and trying to get everything done in preparation for the holidays and holiday festivities. The happy shopper is not thinking about the person in the store or parking lot that has followed you and knows exactly where you keep your cash, what gift you may have just purchased, or where you parked your car.  Even though the routine and structure of work, school, appointments, and meetings have altered somewhat, now is especially the time to be mindful of personal safety, online safety, and to practice crime prevention measures.

Here are just a few general tips to keep yourself and your property safe during and after the holiday season.  Also be sure to download these brochures that provide additional safety tips for shopping online, protecting your portable electronics, and using an ATM.

If you are traveling:

• Put an automatic timer on your lights
• Ask a neighbor to check up on your home
• Don’t forget to have your mail and newspaper delivery stopped
• Sign up for email and text alert systems at your campus/local police departments to stay in touch if you may be away during the holidays

If you are out of the house:

• Turn on lights and music or the TV so it looks as if someone is home
• Be sure that your doors and windows are locked
• Don’t display your gifts where they can be seen from the outside
• If you plan to have packages delivered to your home, make sure you are home to accept them.  If not, as a neighbor or ask that the package be sent to the nearest post office

If you are shopping online:

• Shop with companies you know and trust. Check a company’s background if you’re not familiar with it.
• Be sure you or someone from your family or a trusted neighbor is home when a purchase is being delivered

If you are shopping at a mall or a store:

• Stay alert and be aware of what’s going on around you
• Park in a well-lighted space
• Be sure to lock your car, close windows, and hide shopping bags and gifts in the trunk
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash; pay with a check or credit card whenever possible
• Call to cancel missing and stolen credit and debit cards immediately
• Make sure to complete warranty and/or product registration forms and mail them out as soon as possible since they may provide some kind of protection or replacement value if your property is stolen.
• Don’t overburden yourself with packages
• Deter pickpockets and purse-snatchers.  Carry a purse close to your body in the front.  If you are carrying a wallet, place it in an inside coat or front pants pocket
• If shopping with kids, have a plan in case you get separated.  For the older children, have a central meeting spot designated. For the younger children teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard if you get separated.  Be sure they know your name (not just mommy and daddy), cell phone number, and their address.  Go over the dangers of strangers with them so they know who not to talk to or follow
• Check receipts to see whether your full credit card number appears. If a receipt has your full number on it, take a pen and thoroughly scratch it out
• Double check that you have your credit cards and check book after you pay for your items
• Click here to read more about Shopping Safely .

If a crime is committed, make sure to report it immediately. It is crucial to remember that even though the holidays are filled lots of love and goodwill towards men, there are those who will look for opportunities to strike easy targets. The point of crime prevention is to make that as difficult for criminals as possible. Do not give a thief any chances this year.  Practice safe crime prevention measures not only during and after the holidays, make them a habit for life.  Happy Holidays!

 

 

A Simple Rule: When in Doubt, Call the Cops

By Carmen Gonzales Caldwell, originally posted on MiamiHerald.com on 11/5/10

This week I want to share with you some issues that are happening in various parts of Miami-Dade. The last couple of weeks I have received e-mails from residents who are concerned with strangers in the neighborhood.

From Frank in the city of Miami: Carmen, yesterday I was cutting the grass and there was a woman selling magazines for her children school. I asked what school and she couldn't remember.  She has a bunch of subscription books with her that looked legit but I wasn't comfortable with the situation. Should I have called the police?

From Nancy in Northside: I am having troubles with kids skipping school and hanging out on their front porch. Sometimes there are 10 or 15 kids just hanging out, not really doing anything wrong, but they should be in school. Should I call the police like you said in one of your articles? I don't want them to get a record, but surely they are not learning while hanging all day.

From Jessica in Cutler Ridge area: Yesterday I was coming home and there was a truck that said ``Air Condition Repair.'' The letters were hand painted, which there is nothing wrong with, that but it looked like he was just wandering and not really looking for an address. I called out to him and asked if he was lost, and he said no just checking to see if anyone needed his service. He stopped in front of a couple of houses, two that are abandoned. A couple of weeks ago someone broke into an abandoned foreclosed house, took all the wiring, yet no one called the police. Will the police come even though the house is abandoned?

The answer to all of the above is whenever you are not comfortable with any situation in your neighborhood, calling the police is the best way to go, no matter where you live. Let the police check it out.  Readers, I can't stress enough the importance of calling the police when in doubt. That is called crime prevention.

Give the criminals a break

An unreported crime is nothing.
•    It didn’t happen.
•    No one can get arrested for possession of stolen property.
•    No one can be prosecuted for the crime itself.
•    No property can be returned to the owner.
   
Because you didn’t report that small bit of crime, your small piece of a bigger puzzle is
lost and another crime may go unsolved based on your failure to report.

•    Other victims didn’t know that there was a history or recent criminal activity on their street.
•    The other victims also didn’t report the crime.
•    Everyone (people at work) was surprised to hear that you were a crime victim.
•    Because you didn’t report the crime:
•    Crime prevention doesn’t come into play.
•    No questions were asked.
•    Nothing new to learn.
•    No change in your behavior.
•    You believe that reporting doesn’t matter.
•    You become a silent victim.
•    You become angry and changed nothing.

You told one of your neighbors.

•    You said, “The cops aren’t going to do anything about it.”
•    But, patrol deputies don’t know about it either.
•    Deputies think it’s a no crime/low crime area.
•    No criminals ever hang out in that neighborhood.

You’ve unknowingly sent an alert to bad guys.
•    This is a great neighborhood.
•    No crime equals a low risk area for the criminal.
•    No crime equals an area of great opportunities.
•    Go ahead. Commit another crime.  No one bothered to report the first one.

Send a message to the friends of bad guys.

•    In my neighborhood, you’re safe if you’re a criminal because you’re unwatched and not run off by the neighbors.
•    They don’t call the cops in that neighborhood.
•    The neighbor saw me, but drove on by. Ha! Did they think their gaze really scared me
away?

When you don’t report a crime, it can’t be fixed.

•    The next one is not prevented.
•    No one knows about. It didn’t happen.
•    It tells me that you don’t care. You don’t care about the cops, your neighbors, or your neighborhood. You’ve isolated yourself. Go ahead, don’t report the crime.

Give the criminals a break.

Special thanks to guest blogger Sherrie Carhart, Crime Prevention Specialist, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. This post comes from her recent speech on Reporting Crime.

October is Crime Prevention Month!

Get your kids involved in Crime Prevention Month! NCPC will be hosting various events from poster celebrations to McGruff strolls. Our famous Crime Prevention Month Kits for 2010-2011 are now in stock!

 Anybody under the age of 18 can create a poster to celebrate Crime Prevention Month. This month the spotlight for the posters will be to draw your safe community, how you can show respect to your family, friends, and community, and McGruff the Crime Dog 30^th birthday card. Anybody who participates will get a free copy of McGruff’s new animated short, Samantha’s Choice, the story of a young girl who is afraid to go to ballet class for fear of being bullied. 

Adults you can get involved too. Consider replicating some few NCPC activities in your community. All month long in October, NCPC will have McGruff the Crime Dog out making public appearances in the DC metro area. If you are in the area, catch him at

Oct 12 - A McGruff Metro stop appearance at Gallery Place (7AM-9AM)

Oct 14- Stroll in Crystal City from 11:45AM- 12:30PM

Oct. 20 – A McGruff Metro Ride and Photo Op (start from Metro Center,  go to Gallery Place, L’Enfant Plaza and end up at the Smithsonian for the photo op from 7AM-9AM)

Oct. 26 – A McGruff Metro stop appearance at Union Station (7AM-9AM)

Oct. 29 – Celebrate Safe Communities event – DC Boys and Girls Club – Halloween Costume Contest – 3:00 – 6:00

So how are you going to get involved this month for Crime Prevention!!

For more information on either Crime Prevention Month events, please contact Joanna Li at jli@ncpc.org or at 202-261-4156.

Home and Personal Safety

Recently, the National Crime Prevention Council has been receiving reports from our fellow crime prevention organizations about neighborhood safety issues and we felt that we should share them with everyone.

The first comes to us from Miami, Florida: a resident looked out the window at approximately, 3am and saw a man, who looked familiar, standing in the driveway next to his car. The resident opened a widow and the man gave a tale of woe about living several houses down and he was on his way to work, was almost out of gas, and needed some money. The person had two movie tickets and offered them as collateral. The resident went to get some money and checked a street directory and found the person wasn’t telling the truth about a house number. The resident went to the window and the person was gone. The resident called the police and explained to the responding officer but the police couldn’t locate the person.

Similar story from Northern Miami: a person came to a man’s door and said he was locked out of his house. He looked somewhat familiar. He asked for a ride to get a key from his wife who was at work. When he was taken to the wife’s work, she was not there. He then asked for twenty dollars for a locksmith. Four other people were scammed in the area.

Tip* Never open your door to a stranger, tell him/her that you will gladly call the police for help.

Next in from Florence, KY: a stranger was coming to real estate open houses-male in his 40s, well dressed, carrying a clipboard. He goes directly to the bathroom and then tours the house. When the residents return home, they find prescription drugs missing.

Tip* Always lockup your valuables and prescription drugs before you have an open house. Never take for granted that everyone is honest. Realtors should make every effort to track individuals who are looking at a home and escort them one at a time.

Last story comes from Union, KY: an alert neighbor looked out the window at 3am and saw a stranger going into her neighbors’ garage and called the police with a description of the person and vehicle. The suspect was stopped and 12 purses were found in his vehicle. The suspect found unlocked vehicles in  driveways with remote garage door openers in them, used them to open the doors and steal items.

Tip* Never leave your car unlocked, and keep valuables locked up and out of sight.

Submitted by Chuck Desrosiers with input from Carmen Caldwell of Florida Citizen’s Crime Watch and Bob Douglas of Kentucky Crime Prevention Association.

Remember October is Celebrate Safe Communities, follow attached link for info;  www.celebratesafecommunities.org

LET’S TALK ABOUT CRIME PREVENTION

Do you know what prevention means? It means making it harder for something harmful to happen.

Crime prevention means reducing the chances for criminals to victimize you, your family, and neighbors. It means protecting property and teaching kids and adults to be alert and aware. It means doing things that build communities up, and stopping things that tear communities down.

You need to go beyond watching out. You need to help out, too. When all is said and done, your safety, health, and satisfaction depend on the well-being of others. That’s why partnerships are such a key part of successful crime prevention. It takes everyone working together. Whether you’re 8 or 80, the best weapons against street crime are alertness and common sense.  October is Crime Prevention Month. Let’s actively practice crime prevention and helping out to make ourselves, our children, and our communities safer, healthier places to live.

THE BIG THREE

   1. Stay alert and tuned into your surroundings, wherever you are.
   2. Stand tall and walk confidently.
   3. Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in a place or situation, leave quickly.

TIPS FOR WALKERS

• Choose busy streets and avoid passing vacant lots, alleys, or deserted construction sites.
• At night stick to well-lighted areas.
• Don’t walk or jog alone. Take a friend or neighbor along if possible.
• Get to know the neighborhoods where you live and work.
• Find out what stores and restaurants are open late and where the police and fire stations are located.
• Carry your purse close to your body, and keep a firm grip on it.
• Carry a wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
• Don’t overload yourself with packages, and avoid wearing shoes or clothing that restrict your movements.
• Carry a whistle or other sound device in case of an emergency.

TIPS FOR DRIVERS

• Always lock your car and take the keys, even if you’ll only be gone a short time.
• Keep your car in good running condition to avoid breakdowns.
• If your car does break down, raise the hood or tie a white cloth to the street-side door handle.
• Stay in the locked car.
• If someone stops to help, ask him or her to phone for assistance.
• Park in a well-lit area, be sure that it will still be well lit when you return
• Be alert when using enclosed parking garages.
• Never pick up hitchhikers. Never.
• Before getting into your car, look underneath and inside it.

Wow . . . Did I hear you correctly?

Recently I participated in focus group research about intellectual property crime.  Many of you know it better by names like counterfeiting and piracy.  It involves actions such as illegal downloading of movies, music and software; purchasing knock-off purses or jewelry, and buying countless other fake products.

Now I, like many people around the world, know the concept of right versus wrong.  However, people seem to have a unique way of distorting that principle when it involves intellectual property.  I was surprised throughout these focus groups by people who acknowledged that they were doing something wrong while rationalizing their behavior to make it okay.

People in these groups talked openly about buying knock-off purses or buying that DVD on the street corner for $3.  They rationalized their behavior because they were getting a good deal.  Besides, they are law-abiding citizens in every other sense of the word; they go to church and pay their taxes.

Wow . . . did I hear you correctly?  Is the fact that you are a church-going, tax-paying citizen enough to let you off the hook for breaking the law knowingly just to get a good deal?

It was akin to saying something like, “I know I was speeding, officer. But I’m running late. I pay my taxes on time and go to church so you shouldn’t give me a ticket.”  It doesn’t matter the reason for your speeding or the type of person you are normally, you were breaking the speed limit.

It was also interesting to learn that people felt okay to buy counterfeit products or pirated entertainment because they don’t perceive any real harm from it.  In fact, they seem to think it is an accepted way of getting what you need for free or the cheapest price available.

I really thought that as we began the focus groups that people would not only say they knew that stealing someone’s intellectual property was wrong but that they would feel guilty about doing so.  That was not the case at all.

After all the groups were completed I was left with one big question:  If the lure of the bargain or free items is so strong, what can be done to stop people from buying counterfeit products or pirated entertainment and software?

The relationship between 8th grade algebra and a life of crime or victimization

At a recent criminal justice conference, during a panel called “Communities at Risk,” one panelist said the indicator of how your life may proceed depends on how you did in 8th grade algebra. That got me thinking; what is the relationship between 8th grade algebra and a life of crime or victimization?

As usually happens when I encounter algebra, I was left with more questions than answers. But let me take a run at it.  Algebra is a discipline and a whole body of study that many never master, yet many apply themselves to it. More than once has an algebra student challenged a teacher with the statement, “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” It seems esoteric. What is the practical application?  It is an area of study where, for some, the easiest thing to do would be to throw up one’s hands and say, “It’s not for me,” and give up and move onto something easier or more fun.  It takes discipline.  It requires a “stick-to-it-tiveness” that many in our instant gratification world reject as too much trouble.

Maybe, if I’m that 8th grader, I don’t have someone at home who can tutor me, or at least encourage me to give it my best effort. If the messages I get at home and in the community second my adolescent thoughts on algebra, it is an easy path to forego it. And if I don’t pass it, maybe I’m held back and begin that downward spiral of underachievement.

But maybe, even more critical, does my school district even offer 8th grade algebra and are there qualified, excellent, and committed teachers to assist me? And hugely significant, what are the expectations my community and my family have for me?

Many profiles of young and old men in prison include a failure to do well academically.  The predominant reading level of those in prison is usually a low elementary grade level. 
But how does that relate to crime? If at the 8th grade I take the easier path on math, maybe it’s just a short hop and a skip to take a shortcut on a lot of other (important) things— other schoolwork, other responsibilities, law abiding, authority respecting.

“The indicator of how your life may proceed depends on how you did in 8th grade algebra.”  As I said, the speaker’s statement left me with a lot of intriguing questions. Got any answers? Post them below and show all work.