People all over America are working to make their communities more safe. McGruff Fest in Green Bay, Wisc. is a celebration of crime prevention. Citizens in Louisville, Ky. started the Willow Creek Watch Project. This is a Neighborhood Watch. These projects receive support from the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), Celebrate Safe Communities initiative, in partnership with U.S. Department of Justice.
The NCPC was established in 1982. It is America’s premier crime prevention agency. The original purpose of the organization was to assist citizens in creating safe communities by working with the police. McGruff, the crime dog, was its icon. Now, it seeks out success stories from the public.
Although it is still important to work with police, McGruff has expanded its reach over the past 30 years. McGruff informs the community about everything, including cyberbullying and school safety. They ask each citizen to take action, reaching out to children, parents, seniors, law enforcement agencies, and teens.
Communities have responded. In 2006, over 1,400 officers and community members received training in Internet safety, bullying and identity theft prevention. The organization provides citizens with the education and tools they need through partnerships, youth outreach, and community watches programs. “take a bite out of crime.”
“NCPC has a vast array of resources that support the reduction of crime,”Ken Hughes, a Forest Park police officer in Ohio, said this. “These resources have been instrumental in developing our neighborhood Block Watch, identity theft prevention program and the reduction in burglaries and other categories of crime.”
NCPC helps communities defend themselves. Citizens’ CrimeWatch, a Miami-based group, used the materials of the council to reach more than 30,000 residents. NCPC provided assistance to Madras, Ore.’s Youth Outreach for Victim Assistance program with its announcements.
NCPC would like to hear about how its programs or materials have been used in helping communities prevent crime. To share a crime prevention story, e-mail [email protected]
