Crime Prevention Tips

Have you given any thought to what would help keep crime from happening. It is much better to prevent crime than to investigate it. But how do you keep crimes from happening?

To answer that question we would look at what schools have done in the past that works. Here are a few ideas that schools have submitted that appear to work.

1. Prosecute crimes to the fullest extent of the law. By doing so you will end up in court a lot but you will be in front of many people who commit crimes and they will see that you mean business about protecting your campus.

2. Get to know the people outside your campus. Much of the crime one school reported came from the area in very near proximity to the campus. The Chief of Security joined the neighborhood association and they got involved in what was going on outside the gates. They learned where the problems were and the clout of the college motivated the local police in ways that the ordinary citizen couldn't. Remember, tax paying students can generate a lot of money for a city or county (or parish for you folks in LA). Wouldn't it be great if more students came to their city to pay taxes?

3. Organize events that have a positive impact on young people before they get in trouble. Also, if you keep people in the young teen to mid-twenties age group busy doing something positive then you will prevent a certain amount of crime. These youngsters usually know more about who is doing what and is a great source of intelligence on persons who commit crimes, fence stolen property, buy or sell drugs and other undesirable problems. Make sure that someone from your campus police or security is involved in your community for the purpose of learning who is doing what while at the same time keeping those most likely to commit crimes busy doing something positive. In other words, know your enemy.

4. Use the media to communicate crime prevention measures your school uses. This will put the criminal on notice that they might have an easier time elsewhere. Don't forget to communicate with your school's newspaper and student organizations.

5. Cultivate a good working relationship with local prosecutors and police. Even if you have sworn officers you still need to share information with your local and state police or sheriff's office. If your school has officers that have specialized training, offer their services to other jurisdictions, task forces, and agencies. There will be a wealth of information exchanged. However, do be careful with information about your students information that might be protected under FERPA.