NCPC's President and CEO, Ms. Ann M. Harkins, was invited to speak at the D.C. Committee on Education's public oversight roundtable on "School Safety and Emergency Preparedness in the District of Colombia." Public witnesses included Dr. Joseph Wright from the Children's National Medical Center, the Director of Public Policy of Safe Kids Worldwide, and the heads of a two local schools. Her testimony, given to the D.C. Councilmembers and the Committee Record, focused on the importance of improving school safety through preventive methods like Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and NCPC's Be Safe and Sound in Schools model.
Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Catania and members of
the DC Council Committee on Education, for the opportunity to address the committee today.
I am Ann Harkins, President and CEO of the National Crime
Prevention Council (NCPC), an organization which has provided practical
information on proven and cost-effective crime prevention practices to local
law enforcement, schools, community leaders and citizens for more than thirty
years.
NCPC is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization, whose primary mission is to be the nation’s leader in helping
people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime.
Through a variety of media and methods, NCPC enables communities and law
enforcement to work together to create safe environments, especially for
children and youth. Many of our crime
prevention initiatives have featured our beloved icon McGruff the Crime Dog®
and his signature message that beckons all Americans to “Take a Bite Out of
Crime®.” McGruff and his
message have an aided recognition rate of 83 percent among adult Americans and
more than 80 percent of kids would follow his advice on crime prevention. Over 90 percent of adults describe McGruff as
informative, trustworthy, and effective.
Since the inception of NCPC, we have maintained a close working
partnership with local law enforcement across the country and have worked with
many schools nationwide to launch groundbreaking and comprehensive support
initiatives for crime-besieged cities, provide technical assistance, bring them
cost-effective and award-winning public service advertising, produce and
distribute hundreds of ready-to-use publications filled with practical tips,
expand the reach of crime prevention tools through online resources, conduct
conferences and training, and more.
It is important to note that schools are the safest places
for our children when away from home. But schools can and should be safer—places
where students learn and develop without fear of injury or violence. Several occurrences of violence in and around
the school environment in recent years have directly affected our children’s
sense of security. These events have drawn attention to the need for strengthening
education about school safety and bullying, as well as the need for our
communities to get involved. Incidents
like the shooting that occurred in a Nevada middle school yesterday, a lone
gunman opening fire on teachers and students in a Connecticut elementary school
last December, and reports of students bringing firearms to school directly
jeopardize parents’ and students’ perceptions of a safe school environment.
In a 2011 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, nearly six per cent (5.9%) of the 9th through 12th
graders participating in the survey responded that they did not go to school on
one or more days in the 30 days preceding the study because they did not feel
safe at school or on their way to school[1].
Parents and school administrators alike want to ensure that
every school environment provides the necessary support and safety for our
children. The recent number of school
shootings we have witnessed as a nation challenge all of us to do better. School administrators have a unique
perspective of safety and security within their schools. And the manner in
which they address safety concerns, communicate with parents, and involve local
law enforcement and other stakeholders—including students and staff—in these
efforts has an impact on the overall well-being of children and their sense of
security.
The National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence reported
more than two dozen types of direct victimizations upon youth known by
authorities. Such incidences as bullying
(22%), relational aggression (51.5%), and bias attacks (52.5%) are an
indication of the breadth of safety issues children face when at school[2]. Sadly,
we have seen these acts of victimization lead some young people to resort to
retaliation with weapons or to harm themselves by committing suicide. At NCPC, we have studied the effects of
bullying first hand and research has shown that bullying has lasting negative consequences
(decreased self-esteem, lower academic performance, anti-social behavior,
future criminal behavior) that not only affect the victim but also the
bystanders who observe the incidents[3].
NCPC strives to educate young people about how to
stay safe and engage them in making their schools and neighborhoods
safer. For the committee today, I will focus on two important initiatives from the
National Crime Prevention Council. NCPC’s
first program is called Be Safe and Sound in Schools (B3S) – providing the
resources to increase safety and build a more respectful, caring school
climate. Through Be Safe and Sound,
school administrators, parents, students, and law enforcement officers join
forces to identify issues, such as violence, bullying, vandalism, and drug use
that threaten safety at school.
Together, they plot a course of action to address those issues and
implement activities such as installing locks or security cameras, training
students and staff, and conducting outreach campaigns in the community. Be Safe and Sound in School builds safer
schools through the inclusion of diverse perspectives, data-driven plans, and
customized solutions. B3S combines Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED) principles with action plans to promote a culture of respect
(CPTED discussed below).
And, a few, short years ago, NCPC set out to work on a new
crime prevention initiative that would “inspire us to live in ways that embody
respect… where we live, learn, work and play.” That is our vision for the
Circle of Respect. Lack of respect is contributing to physical and online
aggression that we know as bullying and cyberbullying. However, a lack of respect is also
contributing to this problem of school violence and many other conflicts among
our young people. The Circle of Respect is a national initiative that engages
and challenges children, young people, adults, families, and communities to
promote a culture of respect that transcends what has been a traditional tolerance
of unacceptable behavior. As the circle
expands from respect for self to respect in other aspects of our lives,
we can reduce the opportunities for crime to occur.
As part of the program,
NCPC created the Caregivers Guide to School Safety, a
24-page pamphlet, to give parents information on safety issues facing children
and tips for keeping children safe. In
addition, NCPC was able to provide ten grants, with the funding support of the
Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice, to schools in
need across the country. I share below
just two comments from school principals with whom we had the pleasure of
working on the B3S program.
“We decreased disciplinary referrals by 75 percent after implementing
strategies to reduce fighting, bullying, and vandalism.”
B3S
Charter School Principal
“We had no idea bullying was so pervasive in our
school. The B3S assessment brought to light how bullying was affecting a large
number of our students. Now that we know
about the problem, we can act. We are
looking at bullying prevention strategies to use in school and ways to educate
parents. And we reached out to
elementary schools to stop bullying before things get out of hand.”
B3S Middle School Principal
All threats are NOT created equal. The best prevention against school violence
involves addressing the causes and contributing factors.
- Create
environments that discourage violent conduct
- Educate
the community about safety and security concerns
- Improve
unsafe locations where assaults could occur
- Train
staff on how to diffuse potential emergency situations
- Learn
to identify and intercept the problems’ causes, such as social
disagreements, bullying, and mental illness
- Create
comprehensive plans and protocols that are practiced often by staff and
students
- Encourage
prompt reporting of students in crisis or activities of concern
A key way for schools to deter
violence is called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED. It is defined as the proper design and
effective use of the built environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear
and incidents of crime, and an improvement in the quality of life.
Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design uses four key principles:
1. Access Control
- Guides
people entering and leaving a space through the placement of entrances, exits,
fences, landscaping and lighting.
- Can
decrease opportunities for criminal activity by denying criminals access to
potential targets and creating a perception of risk for would-be
offenders.
2. Surveillance
- Uses
design features to increase the visibility of a property or building.
- Provides
the opportunity to challenge inappropriate behavior or report it to school
administrator or the police.
- Maximizes
the potential to deter crime by making the offender’s behavior more easily
noticeable to a passing individual, police patrol, or private security detail.
3. Territorial Reinforcement
- Created by
using landscaping, pavement designs, decorative gateways, signs, and fences.
- Defines
property lines and clear distinctions between private and public spaces or
school grounds.
4. Maintenance
- Signals
that a location or facility is well cared for and therefore would be
inhospitable to a criminal.
- Ensures
proper upkeep (mowing grass, trimming trees and landscaping, picking up trash,
repairing broken windows and light fixtures, and painting over graffiti).
- Signals
that an owner, manager, or neighbor is watching out for the property and could
spot illegal behavior.
Prevention works best when it is a habit – not just a door
lock but a locked door. It works best
when those leading the effort communicate to encourage informed and smart
prevention behavior rather than perpetuating ignorance or overconfidence. By
taking comprehensive security measures—including monitoring visitors, cameras,
panic buttons and access control systems—administrators will be better able to
spot trouble and students will be less likely to break the rules.
Five best practices for making your school safer and more
secure:
- Make security a top priority
- Build strong relationships with local
law enforcement officials
- Control school access to visitors
- Review design and landscaping of
outdoor areas to remove obstructed views
- Encourage students and parents to take
a proactive approach to school safety
Acts of aggression, property crime, and violence are taking
place in schools every day – distracting kids from learning and robbing them of
their innocence. While our community may
have been spared from headline-catching incidents of school violence, none of
us should become complacent.
Building, maintaining, and improving relationships is the
key to success. Everyone must come together, be at the table, strategize
together, and address the issues occurring in the community and in each school
community. No one person can do it alone. No one organization can do it alone.
No one school can do it alone. We need partners in government, law enforcement,
the private sector, in neighborhoods, and among each school’s population. Each
school community must bring together all of those who know the problem, care
about the problem, and can solve the problem.
Thank you for the opportunity to be with you today.
[1]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth
Risk Behaviors Surveillance – United States, 2011. MMWR Surveillance
Summaries 2012, 61 (no. SS-4). www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6104.pdf
[2]
Finklehor, David, Richard Ormrod, Heather Turner, and Sherry Hamby. “Children
and Youth Victimization Known to Police, School, and Medical Authorities.” Juvenile Justice Bulletin, April 2012.
Office of Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.
Department of Justice: Washington, DC. https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/235394.pdf
[3] Adams,
Frank D. and Gloria J. Lawrence. “Bullying
Victims: The Effects Last Into College.”
American Secondary Education, Fall 2011.
1.Access Control
- Guides people entering and leaving a space through the
placement of entrances, exits, fences, landscaping and lighting.
- Can decrease opportunities for criminal activity by
denying criminals access to potential targets and creating a perception of
risk for would-be offenders.
2.Surveillance
- Uses design features to increase the visibility of a
property or building.
- Provides the opportunity to challenge inappropriate
behavior or report it to school administrator or the police.
- Maximizes the potential to deter crime by making the
offender’s behavior more easily noticeable to a passing individual, police
patrol, or private security detail.
3.Territorial Reinforcement
- Created by using landscaping, pavement designs, decorative
gateways, signs, and fences.
- Defines property lines and clear distinctions between
private and public spaces or school grounds.
4.Maintenance
- Signals that a location or facility is well cared for
and therefore would be inhospitable to a criminal.
- Ensures proper upkeep (mowing grass, trimming trees and
landscaping, picking up trash, repairing broken windows and light
fixtures, and painting over graffiti).
- Signals that an owner, manager, or neighbor is watching
out for the property and could spot illegal behavior.
