Crime Prevention

Drug Market Intervention Initiative/High Point West End Initiative

The actions of community members are extremely important to preventing crime, and law enforcement agencies can offer the help community members need to make a difference. Preventing crime involves not only making sure that our homes are secure and that we take precautions to be safe, it also means working with law enforcement to look out for the safety of our neighbors and other community members.

We believe that decreasing crime and making our communities safer requires a return to the value that we must all take responsibility for our families and our neighborhoods. BJA is committed to providing communities with the tools, information, and resources they need to join together, learn what to do, and take action.

• Through Citizen Corps, part of President Bush's USA Freedom Corps initiative, BJA will work to promote community involvement and volunteerism in areas that will make communities safer.

  • The goal of the Neighborhood Watch initiative is to increase the number of watch groups in the United States. These programs are key in not only making our communities safer but also helping people to learn how to prepare for possible terrorist attacks or other emergencies. Through the National Sheriffs' Association, we will provide the information and resources needed to increase involvement in these groups. BJA is funding the development and distribution of a toolkit as part of Neighborhood Watch's training program. This two-part curriculum is specifically designed for law enforcement to work with Neighborhood Watch organizations and liaisons to start, build, and revitalize their local programs. The toolkit contains over 70 items to help Neighborhood Watch programs reduce crime in their communities.

  • The Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program seeks to recruit and train volunteers to aid law enforcement agencies in both furthering crime prevention and freeing officers to spend more time on prevention and enforcement. Through the International Association of Chiefs of Police, we will provide information and resources to help law enforcement begin and sustain these volunteer programs.

  • Under Project ChildSafe, a component of Project Safe Neighborhoods, BJA will work to meet President Bush's goal of providing free gunlocks and gun safety information through the National Shooting Sports Foundation to state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide.

  • BJA will seek out public and private partners to plan, develop, and disseminate public awareness that focus people's attention on crime prevention and creating changes in their communities.

  Other BJA crime prevention initiatives include:

  • Recognizing that prevention is the best way to protect the public from identity theft, BJA is focusing its efforts on raising public awareness as well as training for prosecutors and other law enforcement officials. BJA and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), in partnership with the Ad Council and the National Association of Broadcasters, launched a television public service advertising campaign to provide the public with facts about effective protective measures and to encourage them to contact NCPC for more information.
  • The National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign is a partnership among BJA, the National Crime Prevention Council, the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, and the Ad Council, Inc. The campaign encourages citizens to participate in crime prevention through a public service advertising campaign, provides technical assistance and training to citizen and law enforcement organizations throughout the nation, organizes demonstration programs, and produces publications and materials, including sample PowerPoint presentations that can be downloaded and used in community presentations.

  • BJA, along with an array of national partner organizations, is promoting an exciting community-based crime prevention initiative in over 110 communities across the country. These initiatives are focused on building and strengthening partnerships among youth, law enforcement officials, youth development professionals, and other crime prevention leaders. To learn more about this unique, multifaceted approach to crime prevention, go to the Law Enforcement and Youth Partnerships for Crime Prevention web site.

  Related Publications

  Preventing Identity Theft: A Guide For Consumers

  Project ChildSafe

  Project Safe Neighborhoods: America's Network Against Gun Violence

  To search for more BJA publications, visit our Publications database.

  Related Web Sites

  Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program

  National Association of Citizens on Patrol (NACOP)

  National Crime Prevention Council

  Project ChildSafe

  Project Safe Neighborhoods

  School Violence Resource Center

  For more links, search our Related Web Sites database.

  Training and Technical Assistance

  For detailed information on all BJA-sponsored training and technical assistance, go to BJA's Training and Technical Assistance page.