Stop the violence and promote your community at the same time. Every 17 seconds, a violent crime - murder, rape, robbery or assault - is reported to law enforcement somewhere in this country. And fewer than half the violent crimes that take place actually get reported. Nationally, more than 5,000 children are victims of violent crime each day.
Somebody's
child. Maybe a child you love. Might be your neighbor. The kid down
the street, you know the one, s/he is always there, always friendly
and most trusting … most trusting …
People
in even the toughest circumstance have turned the tables on violent
crime and created
safer
neighborhoods and schools.
You
can, too, by protecting yourself and your children and getting
involved in the community.
Violence
ruins individual lives, tears apart the fabric of our communities,
and makes the costs of
law
enforcement and emergency care soar. Many calls to 911 can be traced
back to signs of
trouble,
trouble that was allowed to continue:
*
the rape that could have been prevented by better street lights,
*
the domestic violence that could have been deterred by family
counseling,
*
a child brutally bullied who could have been protected by a concerned
parent;
*
or that rash of burglaries that could have been prevented by an
active community watch program.
Creating
a community that will not tolerate violent crime means bringing
together the vision or a safer community, safer for all who live
there, the energy of those who want this and is willing to work with
others to accomplish this goal, the confidence of all those who are
involved and the willing commitment.
You
need to reduce your family's risk of becoming crime victims.
In
order to go to work, attend school or church, or get together with
friends, with reasonable
safety,
you need a neighborhood - not just a home - that's secure against
crime.
Your
goal must be to build a strong community in which kids can be kids
and adults can freely participate in neighborhood activities.
What
can you do? Here are specific ways to strengthen your community and
stop the violence.
Some
can be done right away. Others take time. Some don't require any
help, while others
require
advice or help from others.
Tips
for Kids:
Settle
arguments with words, not fists or weapons. Don't stand around and
form an
audience
when others are arguing. A group makes a good target for violence.
Learn
safe routes for walking in the neighborhood, and know places to go
when seeking
help.
Trust your feelings, and when there's a sense of danger, get away.
Report
any crimes or suspicious actions to law enforcement officers, school
authorities
and
parents. Be willing to testify if needed.
Never
go anywhere with someone you don't know and/or trust.
If
someone tries to hurt or abuse you, say no, get away, and tell a
trusted adult.
Remember,
violence and abuse are CRIMES, and are not the victim's fault.
Don't
use alcohol or other drugs, and stay away from places and people
associated with
them.
Stick
with friends who are also against violence and drugs, and stay away
from known
trouble
spots.
Get
involved to make your school safer and better - participating in
crime prevention
programs,
settling disputes peacefully. If there's no program, help start one!
Help
younger children learn to avoid being crime victims. Set a good
example, and
volunteer
to help with community efforts to stop crime.
Tips
for Adults:
Teach
children how to reduce their risk of being victims of violent crime.
Insist on
knowing
at all times where your kids are, what they are doing, and who they
are with.
Get
involved. Volunteer to help in community anti-crime and other
improvements efforts.
Encourage
established groups to become involved in crime prevention efforts.
Use
common-sense tips to reduce your risk of becoming a crime victim.
Stay in welllighted,
busy
areas; travel with a friend; walk in a confident, assured way. Avoid
known
trouble
spots.
Report
crimes and suspicious activities to law enforcement officers. Agree
to testify
when
necessary. Stand up for what you believe in - maintaining a safe
community.
Get
to know your neighbors and agree with them to look out for one
another.
Get organized
- work with law enforcement agencies - they'll welcome your interest.
Find
ways to settle arguments without violence. If you resort to violence
to settle
disputes,
you will teach your child to do the same. Be a good role model.
The
vigilant use of common courtesy helps ease tensions that can
otherwise lead to
violence.
Teach your children that good manners ARE important.
Don't
carry a weapon illegally. You lose, whether you use the weapon, or if
it's used on
you.
Don't
support illegal activities, like buying stolen property or using
illegal drugs. This
sends
the wrong message to children, and by definition involves you and
your family in
criminal
activity.
Volunteer
your home as a reliable source of help for kids who are scared or
need
assistance.
Tips
for Neighbors and Communities:
Work
with public agencies and other organizations to solve common
problems.
Make
sure that all the youth in the neighborhood have positive ways to
spend their spare
time,
through organized recreation, tutoring programs, and volunteer
opportunities.
Set
up a Community Watch program, working with local law enforcement
agencies.
Make
sure your streets and homes are well-lighted.
Build
a partnership with law enforcement, focused on solving ongoing
problems, instead
of
reacting to crises.
Take
advantage of safety in numbers to show you're determined to drive out
crime and
drugs.
Clean
up the neighborhood! Involve everyone. Tell criminals that you do
care about
where
you live. Ask for assistance in cleaning up the neighborhood.
Ask
local officials to use new ways to get criminals out of your
community. These include
enforcing
housing, health, and fire codes, and putting drug-free clauses in
rental leases.
Support
victims and court witnesses.
Work
with schools to establish drug-free, gun-free zones.
Develop
and share information with local organizations that can provide other
services
that
neighbors might need.
Remember
that the Union County Sheriff's Office and your local police
departments employ
trained
crime prevention specialists. Working together with law enforcement,
and combining the
citizen's
knowledge of the community with the officer's professional crime
prevention skills,
enormous
progress can be made toward stamping out crime.
Protect
Your Child From Abduction and/or Abuse
Every
year thousands of children are kidnapped, by strangers,
acquaintances, family
friends,
or even by their own parents, beginning a tragic ordeal of life on
the run, abuse,
or
worse.
The
following tips may help keep your child safe from abduction:
When
in public, keep your child in sight at all times. When your child is
away from you,
know
who is with the child and where they are located.
Teach
your child not to wander off, to keep you in sight at all times, and
to avoid lonely
places.
Establish
strict procedures for picking up your child from school, at a
friend's or after a
movie.
Don't let your child accept rides from anyone with whom you haven't
made prior
arrangements
- even if they say they're a friend of the family.
Teach
your child never to go anywhere with anyone who doesn't know a family
code
word.
Make sure this word is something that the child is familiar with and
is known only
to
the family members.
Teach
your child his full name, your full name, address, and telephone
number. Teach
your
child how to make local and long distance phone calls. Even a small
child can be
taught
to dial 911 for help, or 0 for operator.
Tell
your child about the abduction problem in a calm and simple way - as
if you were
teaching
any other important coping skill.
Listen
attentively when your child talks about a man or woman your child met
in your
absence.
Teach
your child that it's OK to run away or scream if someone makes or
attempts to
make
your child do something the child doesn't want to do, or that makes
the child feel
uncomfortable.
Take
head and shoulder photographs every six (6) months for children six
(6) years and
younger,
annually for older children. Make note of birthmarks and other
distinguishing
features.
As
a community function, invite all of the community children to a
community building or
home
for a safety program. McGruff, the national Crime Prevention mascot,
may visit if
possible.
Also, arrangements should be made for making photos of children for
parents.
Some
Safety Tips for Travelers
Even
though trips and vacations are often opportunities for relaxation,
all citizens should
practice
good safety habits, even when on the road.
Don't
answer the door in a hotel or motel room without verifying who it is.
If a person
claims
to be an employee, call the front desk and ask if someone from their
staff is
supposed
to have access to your room, and for what purpose. An opened door is
an
invitation
to enter, whether you tell the person to come in or not.
When
returning to your hotel or motel late in the evening, use the main
entrance of the
building.
Be observant and look around before entering parking lots.
Close
the door securely whenever you are in your room, and use all of the
locking
devices
provided.
Don't
needlessly display guest room keys in public, or carelessly leave
them on
restaurant
tables, at the swimming pool, or in other places where the keys may
be easily
stolen.
Do
not draw attention to yourself by displaying large amounts of cash or
expensive
jewelry.
Leave a record of the credit cards that you will be taking with you
on your trip.
Be
careful not to needlessly display the cards, or to carelessly leave
the cards at a
vendor's
desk.
Don't
invite strangers to your room.
Place
all packages and valuables, if possible, in your vehicle's trunk.
Make sure all doors
to
your vehicle are locked. At night, park your vehicle, if possible,
under a light, relatively
near
your room.
Place
all small valuables in the room safe, or in the hotel's or motel's
safe deposit box.
Check
to see that any sliding glass doors or windows and any connecting
room doors
are
locked.
When
out of your room, leave the television or radio playing low. This
makes your room
sound
occupied. At night leave your room lights on, as well as the
television or radio
playing.
If
you see any suspicious activity, promptly report your observations to
the management.
Guarding
Against Home Improvement and Repair Fraud
There
are many honest, hard-working people in the field of home
improvement.
Nevertheless, citizens should watch out for dishonest
home repair firms and practices.
Some
tips on how to avoid home improvement and repair fraud:
Be
suspicious if someone offers to do an expensive job for an unusually
low price. The
old
saying, You get what you pay for, is usually quite true.
Always
get several estimates for every repair job, and compare prices and
terms. Check
to
see if there is a charge for estimates before asking for one.
Ask
your friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendations, or ask
the firm for
references,
and check them out.
Before
signing any type of contract, take your time and read the contract
very carefully.
After
you have read the contract, invite a friend or relative to read the
contract. Make
sure
you understand all parts of the contract. If you feel pressured to
sign the contract,
remember
there are other firms that would be delighted to work with you.
Be
wary of high-pressure sales tactics. When faced with such tactics,
heighten your
scrutiny
of the contract documents. Often the time constraints asserted by the
salesperson
are relatively minor or even illusory.
Pay
by check, never by cash. Arrange to make payments in installments,
one-third at the
beginning
of the job, one-third when the work is nearly completed, and
one-third after the
work
is done.
When
you find a home repair firm you trust, stick with them and tell a
friend! Reward
good
business practices.
Make
note of the employees working with the company and vehicles being
driven by the
workers.
Occasionally, even the best firms have difficulties with problem
employees. Be
on
guard.
Often,
a victim does not know he has been cheated until it's too late. A few
fraudulent
individuals
make the rest of the business community, businesses and consumers
alike, suffer.
If
you don't report fraud, you're only helping the crooks, and that's
just what they want.
You
should report any type of business-related fraud to the Better
Business Bureau.
Contact
your local law enforcement agency to report the crime, and provide as
many details as you can.
The
two web sites below contain valuable information on personal,
neighborhood and work safety as well as information on alcohol,
drugs, prescription medication, gangs and many more topics that
effect communities.
These
web sites also provide many publications and brochures that may be
printed and copied.
National
Association of Town Watch: http://www.nationalnightout.org/natw/
As
always, stay safe !
-Bird
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