CRIME PREVENTION MISSION STATEMENT

   The mission of Crime Prevention is to reduce the threat and fear of crime, by
developing police - community partnerships to enhance safety and to improve the quality of life.

 Crime Prevention Principles - Crime Prevention Coalition of America

Crime prevention is:

• everyone's business
• more than security
• a responsibility of all levels of government
• linked with solving social problems
• cost-effective

Crime prevention requires:

• a central position in law enforcement
• cooperation by all elements of the community
• education
• tailoring to local needs and conditions
• continual testing and improvement

Crime prevention improves

• the quality of life for every community and its residents.

Table of Contents

  Foreword
  Introduction
  Crime Prevention Defined
  Community Based Crime Prevention
  Data Analysis: Precursor to Crime Prevention
  Crime Prevention Standards

  Summary
  Implementation Assistance
  Glossary of Terms
  End Notes

The need to address crime is as old as civilization itself. And, while we have always struggled with whether to punish or rehabilitate criminal activity, there has never been any question that the best alternative to "illegal" behavior is prevention.

Yet, while history is filled with examples of "punishments" for given crimes, the evolution of prevention is not as easily defined. Perhaps that is due, in some part, to the militaristic viewpoint that tends to prevail in history. Or, maybe it is because prevention is not considered as exciting as investigation, arrest, and sanction.

In any case, prevention as a basis for policing was first formulated in England with the passage of the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829. Prevention was the ultimate goal of the organized police force and the prevention philosophy translated into practice. Thus, English law enforcement officials chose not to arm themselves. Armament was viewed as a reaction to crime, not a way to prevent it.

Over the ensuing years, however, the prevention tradition established by Robert Peel in England was overshadowed by a growing emphasis on investigation, arrest, and punishment. This was likely due to the growing impact of criminal activity. For example, the White Rabbit Gang which operated in New York in the early part of the twentieth century, was largely responsible for the decision of the New York Police to arm themselves. The gang's activities and increasing influence meant officers had to spend greater amounts of time responding to crime instead of preventing it. This established a cycle in which criminal activity would evolve to a higher level, then law enforcement would have to respond with increasingly punitive strategies which moved farther and farther away from the prevention tradition.

It wasn't until the early 1970's that prevention again assumed importance in police efforts. The growing burglary rate in the United States forced the National Sheriffs' Association to develop a national Neighborhood Watch program. Since the inception of Neighborhood Watch two decades ago, the burglary rate has dropped consistently. Today it is about half of what it was twenty years ago.

The success of such programs fueled renewed interest in prevention strategies. In recent years, community policing and problem-oriented policing, both of which are grounded in prevention, have grown rapidly, both in the United States and in other western countries.

This trend toward prevention-based policing underscores the need to establish standards by which local law enforcement agencies can gauge their crime prevention efforts.

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INTRODUCTION

As we look toward the next century, there are a number of reasons why the Virginia Crime Prevention Association has undertaken the arduous task of developing crime prevention standards for law enforcement agencies. Foremost among them is the need to sculpt a crime prevention delivery system, within every police and sheriff's department, that is responsive to the need for public safety and security.

According to Code of Virginia, 15.1-138, Powers of the Police Force,

"each policeman shall endeavor to prevent the commission within the county, city, and town of offenses against laws of the Commonwealth and against the ordinances and regulations of the county, city, and town; shall observe and enforce such laws, ordinances, and regulations; shall detect and arrest offenders against the same; shall preserve the good order of the county, city, and town; and shall secure the inhabitants therein from violence and their property from injury."

Until the early 1970's, law enforcement was content to fulfill it's prevention obligations through mobile patrols deployed in order to answer service needs of the public and to deter criminal behavior. However, a series of national research projects in Kansas City and elsewhere clearly revealed police patrols had little effect on the occurrence of crime. In addition, both law enforcement and citizens began to arrive at the conclusion that crime control was not the exclusive province of a police force and that it was necessary for law enforcement and the community to work together to combat crime. Consequently, law enforcement began to explore other opportunities for preventing crime.

It was during this period that law enforcement agencies began to form dedicated crime prevention units to educate the public on the threat of crime and ways it could be prevented in homes, businesses, and the community. Neighborhood Watch, Operation Identification, and Home and Business Security Surveys were just a few of the crime prevention strategies that had their beginnings during this period. Most of Virginia's law enforcement agencies provide some level of crime prevention services to the public. However, it is surprising how few have a formalized function comprised of trained personnel who identify high crime areas provide a mechanism for citizens in those areas to become involved in community anti-crime projects.

The need for these standards is also apparent given the community and problem-oriented policing movements which broaden line officers' responsibilities to include crime prevention. In addition, many experts believe the potential exists within a crime prevention unit to reduce the opportunity for crime by working with the community and other government agencies is largely untapped because some law enforcement executives do not recognize the potential for actually preventing crime. Finally, the Crime Prevention Association and the diverse committee that developed these standards believe that the crime prevention unit must undertake the role of facilitating and coordinating an agency's crime prevention mission rather than being expected to provide all the direct services to the public. This philosophy is based in reality and rests on the following premises:

Premises

• There is growing recognition that, in order to be truly effective, we must return to Robert Peel's first directive that "the principal object to be attained is prevention."
• In order for a criminal act to take place, three factors must be in place: opportunity, ability, and desire. A community crime prevention program should address all three factors.
• While law enforcement agencies have a major role in the prevention of crime, they cannot effectively do the job alone.
• Community members must be willing to participate actively in prevention strategies.
• Crime prevention must be based on a thorough and accurate analysis of demographic, crime, and related data.
• To be most effective, the analysis should drive the development of a comprehensive plan, not just isolated prevention activities.
• The plan should address all constituent groups within the community, especially those groups and/or neighborhoods at risk to criminal activity.
• Because the community climate changes, crime prevention plans must adapt to the changing environment.

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CRIME PREVENTION DEFINED

In a 1973 National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice publication, Deterrence of Crime In and Around Residences, Oscar Newman wrote that Dr. Peter Legins2 identified three categories of prevention in a 1965 paper entitled, "Recent Changes in the Concept of Prevention." The three types of prevention - Punitive, Corrective, and Mechanical - remain relevant today and offer insight into how law enforcement and other institutions attempt to fulfill their crime prevention duties. Because of the many advances in the third category, Mechanical Crime Prevention, the authors have taken the liberty of calling it Organized Crime Prevention.

Punitive Crime Prevention

According to Legins, punitive crime prevention is an attempt by law enforcement to forestall crime through the threat of apprehension and punishment. Punitive crime prevention is manifested by the enactment of tougher laws, longer sentences, and (from a law enforcement perspective) preventive patrol. The enforcement of speeding laws is an example of punitive prevention.

The fear of getting caught has a deterrent effect, especially among the population that has a tendency to be "law-abiding." Unfortunately, individuals intent on committing crime seldom believe they will be caught.

Corrective Crime Prevention

A basic premise of corrective crime prevention is that criminal behavior is caused by various conditions such as poor housing, poverty, lack of education, family problems, and drug and alcohol addiction. Those who subscribe to this theory believe that crime can be avoided if the conditions under which crime is thought to flourish are alleviated.

Unfortunately, there is no consensus as to the causes of crime. Quite often, the conditions that are expounded as causes are little more than excuses for the behavior of those who commit crime and for a system that cannot control it.

Organized Crime Prevention

Preventing crime in this manner suggests the need for law enforcement, other government agencies, and the community, to initiate an organized process for reducing or removing the opportunity for crime through data collection and analysis, the accurate identification of problems by a number of factors, development of crime control objectives and strategies, and implementation of the strategies.3

Organized crime prevention is the basis for the concept of crime prevention as we know it today. It is embodied in the standards that have been established here. Furthermore, it is implied in the definition of crime prevention as established by the National Crime Prevention Institute in the early 1970's, and embraced by most crime prevention experts. It is also embodied in the community policing and problem-oriented policing concepts. It clearly recognizes that the control of crime and associated problems is beyond the capability of law enforcement alone.

Crime prevention is defined as:

The anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk
and the initiation of some action to remove or reduce it.

This definition describes a three part process for preventing crime. It indicates the need to identify the crime risk, develop a plan of action, and implement the plan in order to remove or reduce the risk. None of the three parts stands alone. Each one builds upon the one before it.

Anticipation/Recognition/Appraisal

To anticipate a crime risk is to foresee it. For example, one of the crucial determinants in a security-related law suit is whether or not the crime is foreseeable. A law enforcement agency should be able, as much as possible, to foresee crime patterns or trends in a given area or neighborhood based on crime reports and service call logs.

To recognize a crime risk is to identify it through a systematic means of collecting and analyzing data. This enables an agency to determine what, when, how, where, by whom, and

sometimes, why criminal activity is taking place. If an agency cannot answer these basic questions, it cannot begin to control or prevent crime effectively, nor can it provide the expertise to the community to enable anyone else to do so.

Formalized crime analysis units can provide much of the data needed to direct a crime prevention effort. However, in order for a comprehensive plan to be developed, additional information is needed from other sources, including the community planning department, residents, and businesses.

To appraise the crime risk is to assess or evaluate it in terms of danger to the community or neighborhood. Is a particular crime more or less severe than others being experienced in the locality? Again, such an appraisal will rely heavily on the analysis of data.

Initiate an Action

To initiate is to introduce. For government, action is analogous with "service or response." In public safety, it often denotes a tactical response to a problem.

Controlling crime in a community requires both tactical and strategic action. A tactical response is appropriate for specific, short-term problems. Strategic action works best for long-term problems. Both require planning. Stated differently, initiating an action means developing a plan (short-term and/or long-term) in response to the risks identified.

Unless the law enforcement agency is involved in a crime control planning process that involves all units and divisions within the agency, other government agencies, and the community, it is unlikely that it is actually engaged in comprehensive crime prevention.

Remove or Reduce Risk

To remove or reduce the crime risk is the implementation phase and produces the end results. In short, it is the opportunity to carry out the actions that were planned in response to the risks identified. While it may be easier just to move to the implementation phase in response to a problem, our response must be based on accurate analysis of the problem and identification of appropriate actions to alleviate it.

This philosophy of crime prevention has received wide acceptance and is implemented through community policing and problem-oriented policing.

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COMMUNITY BASED CRIME PREVENTION

In earliest times, officers were used to keep watch in order that, whenever necessary, warning of danger could be given to the entire community.

Over the years, individuals abdicated their peacekeeping responsibilities until, by the 1960's law enforcement was almost totally responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the laws. We know now, of course, that this model did not work. Officers alone cannot prevent crime. Thus, today we have come full circle, recognizing that everyone in the community must contribute to its safety. Similarly, everyone in the community must bear responsibility for criminal activity.

Community crime prevention is grounded in the belief that each constituent group or organization within the locality has unique resources which it can contribute to the effort. Realistically, the responsibility to coordinate those resources will fall to the law enforcement agency. This is perfectly appropriate, as long as all segments of the community remain active participants in the prevention effort.

What are these segments and how do they contribute? Obviously, each community will have its own unique set of constituencies, each with its own needs, talents and resources. However, for the most part, they fall into several recognizable groups.

• Citizen Organizations include a wide variety of groups including neighborhood associations, social clubs, religious organizations, special interest groups, and others. Such groups are important because their geographical boundaries make them responsive to geo-based crime problems. While they usually have little experience in crime prevention, they are often some of the most willing participants in crime prevention programs, if provided sufficient professional guidance.
• Civic Groups, including service clubs and professional organizations, often reach across vocational and geographic boundaries. Thus, they provide vehicles for widespread information dissemination and education. Additionally, they are particularly geared to service to the community, and thus, are open to the need for prevention strategies.
• Business and Industry can play a crucial role in crime prevention. In many cases, business and industry have the greatest stake in the real or perceived safety of their community. In addition to financial resources, the business community can offer employee safety programs, loss prevention, and collective crime prevention associations.
• Government Agencies have, in the past, assumed that only law enforcement agencies were responsible for crime prevention. Today we know that almost all government agencies play a role in prevention. For example, zoning, public works, and planning all impact the design of the built environment. Schools now focus on safety and security assessments as well as student crime prevention. Mental health and social service agencies can promote prevention strategies and lifestyles. And economic development can build public and business awareness.
• Law Enforcement Agencies will, in all likelihood, remain the focal point of all crime prevention efforts. These agencies have the expertise, the resources, and the mission to protect the community. Recently their role has expanded to include empowerment - that is, they have the responsibility to motivate and facilitate community crime prevention efforts. To law enforcement agencies also falls the responsibility of collecting and analyzing needed information in order to design an optimum crime prevention plan.

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DATA ANALYSIS - PRECURSOR TO PREVENTION

Problems cannot be addressed effectively until a community understands exactly what they are. Put another way, we cannot      hope that our crime prevention efforts will be successful unless we accurately identify our crime problems and targets of opportunity, and then design crime prevention strategies to address them.

Twenty years ago, residential burglary was growing by leaps and bounds, both in Virginia and across the country. As the problem was analyzed, it became clear that the solution did not lie with the police. Rather, it rested on the shoulders of neighborhoods and the people who lived in them. Neighbors had to assume responsibility for one another. Thus, the Neighborhood Watch program was born. And, since its inception, residential burglaries have been cut in half.

In contrast, during the last few years, we have witnessed a startling increase in violent crime. Although many strategies have been put forth to deal with the problem, we remain quite surprised that those techniques have not worked. It may well be we failed to examine this problem closely before we initiated our response to it.

Specific Community Needs

A comprehensive crime prevention plan must be tailored to meet the specific crime problems of a locality. Thus, we are dependent on data analysis to identify and quantify our problems for us. From this analysis we can determine exactly what type of criminal activities are taking place, where and when they are occurring, who is committing them, and how they are being carried out. Once this information is known, then we assess the risk to the community, and design appropriate responses.

Our problem identification begins with information we collect from the community. In general, our major sources of information include calls for service, incident reports, field interview cards, investigative reports, supplemental reports, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and city planning and demographic information.

From these data sources we can determine trends and patterns in criminal activity and related problems. For example, analysis can determine the times of occurrence for given types of crimes, assessments of the locations, the methods of entrance or attack, other MO characteristics, and information on victimization characteristics.

The analysis also allows us to assess the impact of these crimes. In many cases we can determine the costs related to a given type of crime, the social or psychological effect it has on individuals, and the impact it has upon the entire neighborhood or community.

Armed with the information provided through such analysis, we can begin to develop a crime prevention plan which relates to the identified problems. And we can adapt our plan to meet the needs of specific groups or populations most at risk to criminal activity.

The plan should include a summary of current crime problems, a demographic profile of the community, quantified crime prevention goals and objectives, a profile of those areas or groups most at risk, specific crime prevention strategies/activities, and a service delivery vehicle to implement the plan.

Community Policing/Problem-Oriented Policing

However community policing is defined, everyone agrees that its philosophy is grounded in prevention and cooperation. Additionally, it is generally recognized that the community policing approach is a neighborhood approach. Thus, a comprehensive crime prevention plan which is based on accurate analysis and takes into account the needs of specific neighborhoods within a community, lies well within the community policing philosophy. Also, a comprehensive prevention plan involves a wide range of community members. This, too, is in keeping with the philosophy of community policing.

Problem-oriented policing also fits well with a comprehensive crime prevention plan for many of the same reasons. Both require accurate data collection and analysis in order to identify specific problems within the community. Additionally, the ultimate goal of problem-oriented policing is prevention of crime through a unified community effort.

Hence, both community policing and problem-oriented policing hark back to the first and primary goal of policing - prevention of criminal activity.

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CRIME PREVENTION STANDARDS

In the mid and late 1960's, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation were called upon to quell civil rights and anti war demonstrations. Rather than fighting crime, officers found themselves battling demonstrators, many of whom were well-meaning citizens voicing opposition to the Vietnam war and to segregation. As a result of this negative contact , a large segment of the population began to question basic law enforcement practices such as training, education, recruitment, and community relations. This marked the first time that the public had questioned how law enforcement agencies did their job. To its credit, the law enforcement community recognized the need to make sweeping reforms. One major goal was to improve its image and relationship with the community.

In response, many law enforcement agencies formed relatively small "community relations" units in order to improve the department's public image and foster better relations with the community. This marked the beginning of the modern crime prevention movement.

Although the development of community relations continued to be the objective of such units, the delivery of crime prevention services became a primary focus. In the mid 1970's, many departments began to place the primary emphasis on crime prevention.

To accomplish the crime prevention mission, many departments replicated, or carried over, the community relations model. They assigned the crime prevention task to a small, specialized unit. The delivery of crime prevention services such as Neighborhood Watch, security inspections of homes and businesses, Operation Identification, educational presentations to community groups, and others became the norm for such units. However, the reason for providing these and other crime prevention services was less clear, especially in the mind of some law enforcement executives.

Even today, there remains an ambiguity among some law enforcement executives concerning crime prevention. A substantial number continue to believe that the primary benefit of having a crime prevention unit is not the reduction of crime, but rather the good community relations that it fosters. This perception is supported by the many tasks crime prevention personnel deliver which are not related to crime reduction.

Still, crime prevention initiatives have been growing in communities across the nation. While we now know most of the elements of an effective crime prevention plan, what is lacking is a comprehensive framework into which the pieces fit. While other public safety initiatives have been guided traditionally by universally accepted standards, no such standards exist for crime prevention. It is the need for such a "game plan" that has driven the development of these crime prevention standards. Thus, these standards offer guidance to law enforcement agencies so that they are better equipped to fulfill their crime prevention mission.

Components

These crime prevention standards are divided into three parts: Organization, Administration, and Operations.

As is readily apparent, the format of the standards generally mirrors the organizational structure of most law enforcement agencies. That is not by accident. These standards are meant to reflect both the philosophy and the practice of law enforcement agencies. Additionally, they are meant to support administrative and operational goals and objectives. Thus, within the three sections, a comprehensive, coordinated approach to crime prevention is outlined.

Organization

Part 1, the organization standards, establishes the structure of a community crime prevention program. The organizational standards address crime prevention goals and objectives, the table of organization, the planning process, and coordination of services.

These standards are critical to those departments desiring a blueprint for building a strong crime prevention presence within the department.

Administration

Part 2, the administration standards, outlines the coordination and responsibilities of the crime prevention unit, as well as the qualifications necessary for crime prevention personnel. Also addressed are budgetary issues, training, volunteer services, and policies and procedures.

These standards identify the resources needed for the day-to-day internal coordination of the crime prevention unit.

Operations

The operations standards in Part 3 define how crime prevention services should be identified and implemented. Program development, prevention activities, at risk populations, manpower allocation and evaluation are all discussed.

These standards speak directly to the operation of the crime prevention program.

Conclusion

Thus, the crime prevention standards that follow address not only strategies and specific activities, but also personnel , budget, policies, procedures, planning, implementation, evaluation, and program development issues. Individually, each standard speaks to the ideal prevention strategy or action. Together, they provide a blueprint for developing a comprehensive, coordinated, community crime prevention program.

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1. Organization

Overview

When the English Parliament passed the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829, its first order was that "it should be understood, at the outset, that the principal object to be attained is the prevention of crime. To this great end every effort of the police is to be directed."

1.1 The delivery of crime prevention services is the responsibility of all personnel
      within the law enforcement agency.

Commentary: When the modern crime prevention movement began in the late sixties, many law enforcement agencies adopted the model that called for a dedicated crime prevention unit to assume virtually full responsibility for delivering crime prevention services. With the advent of community and problem-oriented policing, a philosophy has emerged within law enforcement that suggests that crime prevention, like other services previously thought to be the exclusive purview of dedicated units, is truly the responsibility of all personnel within the agency.

1.2 Every law enforcement agency should establish crime prevention goals,
     objectives and evaluation measures.

Commentary: Goals and objectives enable a department to focus limited resources on specific problems and direct its actions toward those strategies which will have the greatest impact. Since the basic mission of law enforcement agencies is to protect the public's safety, then crime prevention goals and objectives should constitute a significant priority.

1.3 Every law enforcement agency should have a formalized crime prevention unit
     staffed with an appropriate number of full or part-time personnel.

Commentary: Even though the delivery of crime prevention services is the responsibility of all personnel within the agency, there is, nevertheless, a need to have a formalized unit which directs, manages, and coordinates crime prevention activities, and serves as a resource for the agency's crime prevention effort.

1.4 The crime prevention unit should be placed strategically within the agency's
      chain of command.

Commentary: To effectively coordinate the agency's crime prevention services, the crime prevention unit should have equal access to both operational and administrative units and divisions. Moreover, as an integral part of the chief executive's staff, it must keep the command staff apprised of community problems and recommended strategies.

1.5 The crime prevention unit should facilitate and coordinate the law enforcement
      agency's crime prevention mission.

Commentary: While the agency's mission remains constant, the strategies chosen to address the mission change over time to meet specific needs of the community. It is the duty of the crime prevention unit to ensure that, as strategies evolve, they remain in keeping with the agencies crime prevention mission. In this regard, the primary role of the crime prevention unit within the agency is to coordinate and facilitate all crime prevention service and provide direct services to the public where the need is commensurate with skills which exist within the unit.

1.6 Every police agency should initiate a crime prevention planning process which
     focuses on the identification of historical and emerging crime problems and the
     development of community-wide strategies to address them.

Commentary: The control of crime is the responsibility of the entire community. Law enforcement should work in partnership with the community to plan and implement prevention strategies. To this end, law enforcement and the community must engage the community in a planning process which enables those affected by crime to articulate their perceptions of problems and solutions.

The planning process should be formalized and include members of the law enforcement agency, relevant government agencies, and selected representatives of the affected community. The crime prevention planning process may be initiated on a jurisdiction-wide basis or for a specific neighborhood which has been identified to be at risk to crime.

1.7 Crime prevention staff should work closely with the agency's planning unit,
      crime analysis unit, and the locality's community planning department to ensure
      that the prevention of crime is a primary planning goal.

Commentary: The delivery of crime prevention services should be tailored to specific crime prevention concerns of the community. One of the primary roles of the crime prevention unit is to represent the interests of the community in the agency's planning process. The unit should be one of the major users of data from crime analysis and should assist crime analysis by identifying at-risk neighborhoods and locations. Crime prevention personnel should also review demographic data furnished by the locality's planning department and should work with the planning department to review site and construction plans in order to enhance environmental safety and security.

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2. Administration

Overview

The work of crime prevention personnel is crucial to the law enforcement agency's success in involving its officers, other government agencies, and the community in anti-crime efforts. This is a critically important aspect of policing.

Assuming the chief of police or sheriff is committed to having other agencies and the community involved in efforts to prevent crime, and believes that crime prevention and control are the responsibility of various interests within the community (not just law enforcement), the assignment of personnel to the crime prevention unit should be considered one of the most important decisions of the law enforcement executive. Consequently, the crime prevention unit must be staffed at a level that reflects its significance to the mission of the agency.

2.1 Every law enforcement agency should designate one employee as supervisor of
      the crime prevention unit.

Commentary: As part of the management team, the crime prevention supervisor should participate in staff meetings with the chief law enforcement executive and his staff. The primary responsibility of the supervisor should be to identify crime prevention program needs within the community and to report on efforts to involve the agency, other government agencies, and the community in ongoing efforts to prevent crime. The supervisor should also provide expertise on prevention-oriented community policing goals, objectives, and implementation activities.

The extent to which the crime prevention supervisor is responsible for the command of other functions within the agency depends, to a large extent, on the size and structure of the agency, and its crime prevention mission. The supervisor should hold weekly staff meetings with crime prevention staff to discuss needs, issues, planning, and progress.

2.2 The supervisor should be responsible for directing all aspects of the crime
      prevention unit and should represent the interests of the unit to the chief
      executive officer and his command staff.

Commentary: In many law enforcement agencies, the line personnel within the crime prevention unit have considerably more tenure than the supervisor. In some cases the supervisor relies on line personnel to dictate the direction of the unit. Notwithstanding the tenure of the line officers, the supervisor should provide leadership and direction while in charge of the unit. To this end, the supervisor should stay abreast of state and national crime prevention programs and trends.

2.3 Job descriptions for crime prevention personnel should be prepared and fully
      understood by those assigned to crime prevention.

Commentary: It is important that personnel know what is expected of them when they are assigned to the position. It is also important that the chief executive officer and others in the agency understand the duties and responsibilities of the crime prevention personnel.

Each job description should establish the class of the position, pay range, required qualifications, responsibilities, and duties.

2.4 Crime prevention personnel should possess effective planning and
      communication skills and should be capable of motivating and directing others.

Commentary: While sworn and civilian personnel each bring a different perspective to the crime prevention unit, it is imperative that all personnel be able to plan and communicate effectively. Skills should include, but not be limited to: effective writing, the ability to make oral presentations, program development, technical assistance, program evaluation, training, and planning and coordination.

2.5 Law enforcement agencies should give consideration to qualified civilians as
      well as sworn officers when filling vacancies within the crime prevention unit.

Commentary: Depending on the crime prevention needs of the department , it may be expedient to hire civilians to serve in a crime prevention capacity. There are two distinct advantages to this policy. First, it may be possible to hire an individual who already possesses specific skills that may be immediately needed. Second, civilians enhance continuity as their tenure in the unit may be longer than that of sworn officers who are more often subject to transfer.

2.6 Crime prevention personnel should be provided appropriate training in methods
      to reduce or remove the opportunity for crime.

Commentary: Upon assignment to crime prevention, personnel should attend a basic crime prevention course. Thus this will introduce both the theory and practice of crime prevention with respect to understanding the need and mechanics of developing a systems approach to crime prevention and control, community involvement, crime prevention strategies, planning, and physical and environmental security.

2.7 Crime prevention personnel should attend advanced or specialized courses
      designed to strengthen their crime prevention skills in physical security, crime
      prevention through environmental design, management, and coalition building.

Commentary: Because so much of problem-oriented and community policing is grounded in the crime prevention philosophy, and because technology evolves so quickly, it is necessary for crime prevention personnel to keep abreast of state of the art crime prevention theories and practices. Additionally, they must be able to implement theory through goals and objectives of the agency.

2.8 The crime prevention program should be a line item in the law enforcement
      agency's budget.

Commentary: The crime prevention unit is an important and distinct aspect of policing and should be funded for personnel, training, educational material, audio visual equipment, reference material, professional development, and membership in professional organizations. These funds should be specifically designated for crime prevention so they can be managed and evaluated as to their cost effectiveness.

2.9 Every law enforcement agency should consider using a cadre of volunteers to
      assist in the delivery of crime prevention services.

Commentary: The prevention of crime is crucially important to the mission of law enforcement. Personnel assigned to crime prevention should be looked upon as a valuable resource to the department and the community. Their time should not be diverted by public relations activities not related specifically to crime control. Therefore, it is recommended that agencies develop and manage a program that recruits and trains volunteers to undertake such tasks.

Volunteers have proven to be a valuable resource to law enforcement agencies that use them. This is especially true in the area of crime prevention. Volunteers can be used for a variety of tasks, including, conducting tours of the department, coordination of the ride-along program, collecting data for community profiles, providing crime data to community groups, conducting bicycle safety clinics, making selected presentations to youth groups, staffing crime prevention displays, and distributing public awareness materials.

2.10 Every law enforcement agency should prepare comprehensive crime
        prevention policies and procedures.

Commentary: Law enforcement agencies institutionalize their most important functions through the use of written policies and procedures. The crime prevention policies and procedures should provide the basis for educating new recruits about their crime prevention roles and responsibilities. They should also describe, in detail, the specific crime prevention mission, as well as the crime prevention roles and responsibilities, of all other applicable units and divisions within the agency.

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3. Operations

Overview

During the past three decades, citizens, police, and government leaders have come to realize that the control of crime, drugs, and associated problems is beyond the capability of law enforcement alone. Hence, it is necessary to marshal the resources of the whole community to address these problems.

Today, the relationship between law enforcement and the community is returning to what it was in the very earliest days of policing. Thus, the role of law enforcement is to assist the community in achieving its own goals relative to crime and disorder. Although law enforcement professionals continue to fulfill enforcement and order maintenance roles, they are also renewing efforts to work with the community to plan and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent crime.

3.1 The crime prevention unit should serve as the central point of contact for
      requests for crime prevention services within the agency.

Commentary: Traditionally, the crime prevention unit has been responsible for the delivery of nearly all crime prevention-related services within the agency. However, it is widely recognized that a small, dedicated unit cannot provide sufficient direct services to have the desired impact on crime. In many departments, patrol officers and other personnel are being asked to deliver crime prevention services appropriate to their assignments, duties and responsibilities.

To ensure coordination and accountability, all requests for crime prevention services should be coordinated by the crime prevention unit. In addition, policies should be established which detail the mechanics of working through the chain of command to ensure that requests for presentations and other services are delivered promptly and effectively.

3.2 The crime prevention unit should develop and distribute materials that increase
      the public's awareness of crime and ways to prevent it.

Commentary: Public awareness materials serve several purposes. First, they increase the community's awareness of crime and specific criminal activity. Also, such materials provide suggestions/activities to reduce or remove the opportunity for crime. Finally, public awareness materials can be used to build a community crime prevention presence or to forge consensus among groups or interests as to how to approach a particular crime problem. The crime prevention unit should develop, or otherwise obtain, public awareness material and work with others in the agency, government, and community to disseminate it.

3.3 The crime prevention unit should serve as a central repository of crime
      prevention reference material and program resources for those engaged in the
      delivery of crime prevention services.

Commentary: The crime prevention unit should serve as a clearinghouse for publications, periodicals, studies, research publications, newsletters, and other material related to the prevention of crime. The clearinghouse should also contain relevant program resources such as films, video tapes, slide programs, and displays. These materials should be made available, on a loan basis, to appropriate individuals, agencies, and organizations.

3.4 The delivery of crime prevention services should be based on an accurate
      analysis of crime and related demographic data.

Commentary: Individuals engaged in the delivery of crime prevention services are fond of proclaiming that crime prevention is proactive and that enforcement, to a large extent, is reactive. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Crime prevention, at least the way it is delivered within the community, can also be reactive. From a service delivery perspective, it is only proactive if personnel within the unit understand the extent and nature of crime in the community, or within a specific neighborhood, and then work with various entities to reduce the opportunity for it. To do this, crime prevention personnel must first know what the crime problems are as well as when, where, how, why, and to whom they occur. Without this information, it is virtually impossible to develop prevention strategies that address specific community crime problems.

If crime prevention is to be proactive in a way that results in the reduction of crime and related problems in the community, it must be based on the analysis of crime and other data.

3.5 The crime prevention unit should maintain detailed records of crime prevention
      services requested and delivered.

Commentary: At best, the impact of prevention is difficult to measure. One way to evaluate such initiatives is through accurate analysis of service delivery. Additionally, once services have been delivered, it is easier to measure any changes which take place afterward. Thus, it is imperative that accurate records be kept on the delivery of crime prevention services.

3.6 The crime prevention staff should monitor and evaluate the agency's crime
      prevention activities and make periodic reports to the chief executive officer.

Commentary: Only those activities which prove to be effective should be ongoing. Ultimately, it is the chief executive officer who determines whether or not such activities should continue. Thus, it is necessary to provide accurate, timely program information for evaluation purposes.

3.7 The crime prevention unit should maintain contact with state and national crime
      prevention organizations and agencies and share pertinent information with
      other personnel.

Commentary: State and national prevention agencies and organizations act as repositories for materials and programs. They also serve as liaisons with crime prevention functions in other localities and other states. Thus, it is necessary to maintain contact with these organizations and share their resources with others involved in prevention activities.

3.8 The personnel within the crime prevention unit should assist the agency's
      planning unit and chief executive officer in developing the agency's crime
      prevention policies and procedures.

Commentary: Crime prevention personnel should have the expertise to assist with the preparation of the agency's crime prevention policy and procedures. The policy should be comprehensive in that it defines the duties and responsibilities of the crime prevention unit as well as other units and divisions within the agency. The primary emphasis of the policy should be the delivery of services to the community.

3.9 The crime prevention unit should use neighborhood profiles to assist in the
      delivery of crime prevention and law enforcement services.

Commentary: The crime prevention staff should help identify areas of the jurisdiction found to be at risk to crime, drugs, and/or disorder. They should then develop profiles of these areas using community demographics, service calls, crime reports, and arrest data. Where necessary, they should combine the statistical analysis with a physical and environmental assessment of the area. Upon collecting the information, crime prevention personnel should prepare a report and provide it to appropriate users for implementation.

3.10 The crime prevention unit should be responsible for initiating and staffing
        Crime Prevention Planning Committees on a jurisdiction-wide basis and, when
        needed, on a neighborhood basis.

Commentary: Those areas within a jurisdiction which are found to be at risk to crime, drugs, and/or disorder will benefit from the establishment of crime prevention planning committees. Each committee should be comprised of representatives of the law enforcement agency, appropriate government agencies, and individuals within the affected community. By working through a planning process members should be able to identify specific crime and related issues, design strategies to address the problems, develop an implementation plan, and then implement strategies. Data analysis and a physical and environmental security assessment of the neighborhood can provide the basis for this process.

3.11 The crime prevention unit should work with other government agencies and
        community organizations to conduct physical and environmental security
        assessments of neighborhoods at risk to crime and related problems. The
        assessments should culminate in a plan to reduce the opportunity for crime.

Commentary: At-risk neighborhoods often experience a multitude of problems, crime is just one. In order to achieve the greatest impact, agencies and groups should work together, pooling resources when necessary, to address the entire range of safety needs. Crime prevention personnel should identify at-risk businesses, schools, and neighborhoods and recommend an assessment to specifically identify problems by type, location, time, and other factors. Personnel should be available to assist with the assessment and to provide the mechanics to accomplish it.

3.12 The crime prevention unit should provide training and technical assistance to
        other government agencies, businesses, and community organizations to
        enable them to plan and implement crime prevention service delivery systems
        for their constituents.

Commentary: One of the primary challenges for the crime prevention unit is to create the interest and capability within various entities in the community to enable them to provide crime prevention services to their constituents. To this end, crime prevention personnel should help these groups develop an implementation plan and then provide the necessary support and assistance to implement employee watch, personal safety training and other crime prevention programs.

3.13 Priority should be given to targeted crime prevention services in areas of the
       community most at-risk to crime.

Commentary: Law enforcement agency resources are finite. Those resources should be directed to the areas of greatest need; consequently, crime prevention services should focus first on high risk areas where crime prevention activities have the greatest impact.

The challenge to the staff is to assist others in providing for their own safety and security through Neighborhood Watch programs and other anti-crime strategies. With respect to security inspection services, the policies of the agency should dictate that, when requested, patrol officers conduct routine security inspections of homes and businesses on their beats.

3.14 The crime prevention unit should target specific populations for crime
        prevention services when they are found to be at-risk to crime and related
        problems.

Commentary: Although agencies may be expected to respond to requests for presentations and other routine services from the public, the crime prevention unit should plan and deliver appropriate services to populations that are vulnerable to crime as revealed by data collection and analysis. These groups may include the elderly, youth, females, the disabled, and others.

3.15 All law enforcement personnel should report appropriate security-related
       hazards and activities likely to generate crime and disorder.

Commentary: Patrol officers and others who work regularly in a particular neighborhood or area are often the first to notice potential crime-related problems such as inadequate lighting, unsecured buildings and property, trees and shrubs which impede visibility, graffiti, abandoned property, trash, and gathering places for young adults. A formalized reporting procedure should be instituted to facilitate this process.

3.16 Crime prevention personnel should prepare crime prevention lesson plans and
        make them available to others in the agency who are required to make
        community presentations.

Commentary: It is unreasonable to expect patrol officers and others in the department to prepare lesson plans for crime prevention presentations. Therefore, it is necessary that crime prevention personnel prepare standardized lesson plans on relevant crime prevention topics. Each lesson plan should be accompanied by handout materials and other information the officer should know. For example, lesson plans on child safety should include information on the McGruff House program. The lesson plans should be as comprehensive as possible.

When called upon to make a presentation, the officer should be able to readily obtain the lesson plan and all relevant material. Personnel in the crime prevention unit should constantly monitor this process to determine if the materials are being used properly, if they are relevant, and if sufficient materials are available.

3.17 The crime prevention unit should assist in training patrol officers and others
        within the agency to enable them to provide crime prevention services to the
        public.

Commentary: Many crime prevention techniques and initiatives require specific training. As law enforcement agencies seek to expand the role of patrol officers, it is likely that they will be required to provide a full range of public safety services (including crime prevention) to a particular neighborhood or community. In order to ensure that all community groups are receiving consistent, accurate information, the crime prevention staff must accept the responsibility for seeing that all other appropriate individuals are trained in techniques such as making crime prevention presentations, conducting security inspections of homes and businesses, meeting with groups to discuss community problems and issues, and assisting groups in establishing Neighborhood Watch programs.

3.18 When requested, patrol officers and other members of the agency should make
       crime prevention presentations to community and business groups, schools, and
       government agencies to make them more aware of crime and ways to prevent
       it.

Commentary: Law enforcement has been, and will remain, the focal point and source of information for crime prevention activities. Hence, other organizations will continue to depend on law enforcement personnel for crime prevention direction, coordination, and training. While the crime prevention staff should coordinate such efforts, the actual delivery of crime prevention information can be accomplished by a range of personnel within the agency.

3.19 Working with the community planning department, the crime prevention staff
        should review site and building plans for major development projects in the
        locality.

Commentary: It is readily acknowledged by many crime prevention experts that one of the most effective ways to remove or reduce the opportunity for crime is to design the built environment so that it allows for surveillance, access control, movement control, territoriality, limits unassigned spaces, and avoids design conflicts. To ensure that these principles are major considerations in the design of new construction projects and major renovation of existing sites and facilities, personnel within the crime prevention unit should assist the community planning department by reviewing appropriate site and building plans.

3.20 Crime prevention personnel should work with the school district to conduct
        safety and security assessments of all elementary, middle, and secondary
        schools within the community.

Commentary: Our schools should be considered "safe havens" for children. Unfortunately, communities throughout the Commonwealth and across the nation have witnessed a sharp increase in school-related violence. It is the responsibility of law enforcement to assist school personnel in assessing the security of the facilities. Such assessments should include physical and environmental security, security management, and a review of policies and procedures. Each assessment should culminate in a written report of recommendations.

3.21 Crime prevention personnel should coordinate efforts within the community to
        organize and maintain Neighborhood Watch groups.

Commentary: Neighborhood Watch has proven to be one of the most effective means by which citizens, in concert with law enforcement, can collectively reduce the opportunity for crime. While it is anticipated that citizens will take ownership of their watch programs, the law enforcement agency must provide the leadership and ongoing direction for such programs.

It is anticipated that others within the agency, with the help of prepared lesson plans, will be able to explain to groups how to organize a watch program. However, it is necessary that the crime prevention staff assists groups in actually forming the program and providing support once they are organized.

3.22 Crime prevention personnel should conduct complex security assessments of
        government agencies and businesses where specific security skills are
        required.

Commentary: Given the mission of the agency to prevent or reduce the opportunity for crime, patrol officers and other personnel in the law enforcement agency should be expected to learn the basics of crime prevention. Whenever more specific skills are needed ( to conduct complex security assessments, for example) it is the responsibility of the crime prevention unit to carry out those duties.

3.23 Patrol officers and investigators should provide crime victims with information
       and advice that is intended to prevent future victimization.

Commentary: The criminal justice community has a responsibility to assist victims in avoiding future victimization through education, referral, or other assistance as needed. Patrol officers and investigators can provide valuable information to victims to assist them through the criminal justice process. More important, when investigating the crime, officers can provide tips and information to the victim which may prevent future victimization.

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SUMMARY

Throughout history, governments have been concerned with crime prevention. However, in the last twenty-five years we in the United States have come to realize that such efforts must be ongoing. We must make them a major focus of the community. Only by responding with full community resources will we be able to combat criminal activity effectively. We also know when we pool our efforts and our resources, we can accomplish much more together than we can separately.

Separate, individual crime prevention efforts have been thriving in many places in Virginia. Many of these efforts could be equally successful in other Commonwealth communities. And yet, many neighborhoods and communities that desperately need crime prevention services have not had them.

These disparities have underscored the need to develop a comprehensive set of crime prevention standards which can be used by cities, towns, and counties throughout the Commonwealth that wish to develop or enhance their crime prevention efforts.

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IMPLEMENTATION ASSISTANCE

As a law enforcement agency strives to meet these crime prevention standards, it will, at times, require the assistance of others. In Virginia, the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Crime Prevention Association both offer technical assistance and training for those seeking to implement these standards.

Virginia Crime Prevention Association

Founded in 1978, the Virginia Crime Prevention Association (VCPA) is an incorporated, non profit organization dedicated to the prevention of crime. The Association is a statewide organization whose membership includes local and state law enforcement officers, government officials, educators, private security representatives, business and community leaders, and concerned citizens. The Association has regional chapters in the Central, Northern, Southwestern, and Tidewater areas of Virginia. Members are served by a Board of Directors and an executive director.

The VCPA provides a variety of services to its members and the residents of Virginia in compliance with agreements with the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Technical assistance, training, and resource assistance are available in the areas of program development, community crime prevention, youth crime prevention, community assessments, business/industry crime prevention, and others.

The Association holds its annual membership/training/awards meeting in the spring. The VCPA also compiles and distributes a newsletter for crime prevention practitioners. The newsletter highlights state-of-the-art crime prevention issues and topics.

For more information, contact:

Patrick Harris, Executive Director
Virginia Crime Prevention Association,
1405 Westover Hills Blvd., Suite 6
Richmond, VA, 23225
(804) 231-3800    FAX (804) 231-3900
email: vaprevent@aol.com

Department of Criminal Justice Services

The Crime Prevention Center, housed within the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, is the focal point for crime prevention activities in the Commonwealth. The Center is an active member of the National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, D.C.

Resources and services provided by the Center are many and can be of tremendous assistance to law enforcement agencies interested in initiating or enhancing crime prevention services.

Crime Prevention Center services to localities include:

• Technical Assistance - staff are available to go on-site to local agencies at no cost to the locality.
• Training - a variety of crime prevention topics can be addressed, including Basic, Advanced, and Specialized crime prevention training courses.
• Research - is conducted on a number of state of the art crime prevention issues.
• Library - The Crime Prevention Center and DCJS maintain an extensive collection of books, journals, reports, newsletters, movies, slides, and video cassettes.

For more information, contact:
Dan Gilmore
Crime Prevention Center Manager,
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
805 E. Broad Street, Floor 10
Richmond, VA, 23219

(804) 371-0635

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Glossary of Terms