Center for Civic Partnerships

Community Safety

Top Tips

Get to know your neighbors. You can't do it alone.
Start or join a Neighborhood Watch or Block Watch (see Online Resources section for more information).
Establish a telephone or e-mail network with other residents to disseminate information quickly.
Make sure your streets and homes.
Gather facts about crime in your neighborhood. Residents' perceptions of crime often are not supported by facts, and accurate information can reduce fear of crime. Contact your local police or sheriff's office. These agencies are excellent sources of information on local crime patterns, home security, crime prevention education and crime reporting.
Be sure you know where and how to report potentially violent situations or concerns about conditions in your neighborhood. Ask your police department for help in identifying what to report, when, to whom and how.
Identify problem conditions like overgrown lots, abandoned vehicles or appliances, unsafe public play areas, intersections and streets that need lighting or traffic control improvements, unsafe equipment or structures, abandoned buildings and signs of vandalism, especially graffiti.
Clean up the neighborhood! Involve everyone - teens, children, senior citizens, schools, churches and local businesses. Rundown neighborhoods attract more crime and violence.
Ask local officials to use innovative methods to address community safety issues. These include enforcing anti-noise laws, housing codes, health and fire codes, anti-nuisance laws and drug-free clauses in rental leases.
Work with public agencies and other organizations to solve common problems. Let the organizations know what your community needs and how you can work together effectively.
Develop and share a phone list of local organizations that can provide counseling, job training, guidance and other services that neighbors might need. Learn about hotlines, crisis centers and other help available to victims of crime.
Link crime prevention to activities promoted by other groups: child protection, anti-vandalism projects, community service, arson prevention, recreation programs and neighborhood beautification.
Consider starting a formal block parent program so children will have reliable, recognizable places to go in the neighborhood if they feel threatened, bullied, or scared.
Work with schools and parks and recreation officials to establish drug-free, gun-free zones.
Provide youth in the neighborhood with positive ways to spend their spare time, through organized recreation, tutoring programs, part-time work and volunteer opportunities.

Adapted from the National Crime Prevention Council’s Making Children, Families and Communities Safer from Violence and Ten Things You and Your Neighbors Can Do. Available online: www.ncpc.org

Online Resources and Tools

Community Policing Consortium
www.communitypolicing.org
Community policing research, training and technical assistance site sponsored by law enforcement organizations.

Crime Prevention Resources
www.crimeprevent.com
Source for prevention awareness training tools.

Join Together Online
www.jointogether.org
National resource for communities working to reduce substance abuse and gun violence.

National Association of Town Watch
www.nationaltownwatch.org
Non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of organized, law enforcement-affiliated crime and drug prevention programs.

National Crime Prevention Council
www.ncpc.org
Non-profit resource for crime prevention programs and activities, including the McGruff- Take a Bite Out of Crime project and Neighborhood Watch programs.

National Sheriffs’ Association Neighborhood Watch Program
www.usaonwatch.org
Information on the official Neighborhood Watch program.

Neighborhood Link
www.neighborhoodlink.com/public
Site provides neighborhoods with free website space for their community news and information.

Neighborhoods Online
www.neighborhoodsonline.net/organizing/crime/crime.htm
Crime section provides resources and information on public safety legislative activities.

Safe USA
www.safeusa.org
Site provides resources for community and personal safety.

US Department of Justice
www.usdoj.gov
Building Blocks for Safe and Healthy Communities
www.ojp.usdoj.gov
Site describes Department of Justice community programs.

Community Safety

Online Resources and Tools

Suggested Reading