Summer is almost here and most children will be out of school enjoying all types of summer activities. Some will go to camps, make a trip to visit relatives, or the entire family will take a trip to a long-planned destination. Whatever the itinerary, we all need to be diligent to keep ourselves and our children safe and out of harm’s way. Summertime should be filled with enjoyment, adventure, and relaxation whether it is with old friends, new friends, or family. In any situation, we must exercise caution and help children learn how to keep themselves safe.
In case you need reminders, here are a few tips to help you and your children have a safe and happy summer.
Summer camps: If your child is going to summer camp, be sure to check out the organization or business that is running the camp. If it is not a well-known, national entity, you may want to seek references. The Better Business Bureau or the state’s attorney’s office may have information about the organization or business that could be helpful. You want to be sure that the money you pay for your child’s experience is to a reputable company and that the services offered will in fact be delivered.
Nearly every camp hires individuals to help run programs during the summer. Ask how they screen those that are hired. To what extent are background checks conducted? What type of training does camp staff undergo prior to children arriving?
In a sleep-away camp, what safety measures exist to keep campers and staff safe from intruders or other emergencies?
Traveling: If visiting relatives or friends away from home, what are the activities that the child will be engaged in? Are other children in the area and what are their ages? One summer, two of my nieces came to visit with me and I enrolled them in the local community recreation center for their age group. The girls were thrilled to be able to walk to the center on their own, but they had to take a specific route that I walked with them. One route would have taken them along the commuter rail tracks, and I knew I wanted them to avoid any temptation or opportunity for doing something their curious minds might lead them to. So when they followed the other route to the center, I knew they had a much better chance of staying out of harm’s way.
Internet: Talk with your child about Internet activity. If there are limitations at home, those same limitations should be observed when visiting someone else’s home or at camp. Kids who bully and Internet predators do not take a holiday.
Outings: Wherever kids go they should always use a buddy system. Each one looks after the other. Most kids love going to the amusement park or to concerts during the summer. Talk with the children about staying together. Discuss what they should do if they become separated. They should plan a place to meet as soon as they arrive. For instance, even as an adult, when I go with friends to a crowded event, we pinpoint a spot where we will meet if we get separated, such as, go back to the last place where we were together or meet at the Security or Information Booth. Re-connecting with lost buddies might be easier for those with cell phones.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have the convenience of cell phones, but we did have each other to look after. My brothers and I, along with the other kids in the neighborhood, spent each and every day outside (after our chores were done, of course) and at the local park. We all had strict rules about where we could or could not go, and parents acted collectively in monitoring the safety of all the children in our neighborhood. We never strayed very far from our neighborhood and we always stayed together. The only time there was injury was running bases in softball or spraining a knuckle in tetherball. The only “crime” was our own sports injuries.
Have a great summer and be safe.May is Older Americans Month, a month we can all appreciate. We all have older individuals in our lives whom we care for dearly, and most of us will be in their shoes one day as well. Although we need to consider the safety of our elders year-round, it's important to take this one month to really concentrate our efforts toward their protection and the prevention of crimes targeting seniors.
According to the Administration on Aging, the older population is defined as persons 65 years or older, and there will be about 72.1 million older persons by 2030, representing 19 percent of the population. With an increasing number of older persons comprising the overall U.S. population, elder fraud and abuse are only going to become more prevalent, widespread threats. Unfortunately, crimes against seniors are already heavily underreported because many seniors feel ashamed and embarrassed or do not possess the capacity to report the crimes.
Sid Kirchheimer from the AARP Bulletin reported earlier this year that “scam artists steal a documented $3 billion a year from the 55-plus population, a mere fraction of the actual amount, considering that only an estimated 4 percent of retirement-age victims — just one in 25, according to various studies — ever report those crimes.” Furthermore, according to the MetLife study, “Broken Trust: Elders, Family & Financers,” an estimated one million seniors lose over $2.6 billion from financial abuse in the U.S. annually.
As if being swindled out of a lifetime of savings isn’t bad enough, many senior citizens also face the threat of physical abuse or neglect. These crimes go largely unreported as well because of fear of retaliation, lack of physical and/or cognitive ability to report, or because they don’t want to get the abuser (90 percent of whom are family members) in trouble, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
This year, in observance of Older Americans Month, the National Crime Prevention Council’s President and CEO, Ann M. Harkins, will unveil NCPC's new elder abuse and elder fraud prevention materials on May 16, 2013, at the 19th Annual Older Americans Information and Health Fair sponsored by the Dallas Area Agency on Aging and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. These new materials will be available on NCPC’s website along with our current resources, which we encourage all to review and share. Some quick tips to ensure safer seniors include
Avoiding fraud
Detecting physical abuse or neglect
Youth violence in the United States is something that cannot be ignored. From gang violence to school shootings to bullying in schools, there is no wonder youth violence is such a hot topic. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) conducted a survey on youth violence in 2011 and found that 5 percent of high school students had brought a weapon to school in the 30 days prior to the survey. In the same survey it was found that 33 percent of high school students had been in a physical fight in the 12 months before the survey. In the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, the FBI states that juvenile gangs are increasing and that gangs target youth because of their vulnerability and susceptibility to recruitment tactics. Even though the problem is apparent, not everyone knows what he or she can do to help stop the violence. One way that everyone can help out and make a difference is by becoming involved through community service and volunteering.
A few months ago, President Obama called for a National Day of Service. In response, thousands of Americans helped out and volunteered in their communities. Community service has become an important part of our country. Many people are aware of national volunteering opportunities such as the American Red Cross, Neighborhood Watch, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the United Way. In these programs, you can be active in your community and mentor at-risk youth to guide them in a positive way. Even though these national agencies receive the most publicity, there are many other ways to volunteer and become involved in your community, to make a contribution to the community’s school, your city, and your country.
Getting involved can be easy. When I was younger, I volunteered with my local animal shelter. I love animals so this was the perfect opportunity for me; I had fun and I was helping out. There are so many different volunteer opportunities available; the hard part is knowing where to look for them. A great place to start is the United We Serve website, serve.gov. This website can help you find existing volunteer opportunities in your area and help you learn how to start your own service project. Other good places to look are your local school, library, hospital, retirement home, church, or food bank. So get up and get involved. You can start making a difference in your community today.
For more information on volunteering, visit NCPC’s website at ncpc.org/topics/volunteering.
April 1st kicks off Personal Security Awareness Month (PSAM). It’s a month designed to raise awareness about personal security options and deliver valuable knowledge and life-saving advice to men and women across the globe. Throughout April, SHOLDIT and other personal protection experts, law enforcement professionals, and companies will partner up to spread the word of PSAM’s mission and inform the public on ways to stay safe. SHOLDIT will also donate ten percent of its online profits in the month of April to the National Crime Prevention Council as a way to help the organization further its efforts to keep people, themselves, and their families safe from crime.
We had the opportunity to get more information from SHOLDIT about PSAM. For more information visit www.PersonalSecurityAwarenessMonth.com.
Q: Why
did SHOLDIT create PSAM?
The need for Personal Security Awareness Month was created because we want to
raise awareness about the fact that crime rates across the globe are on the
rise and there is a strong need for people to be more aware. Yes, there are
already sources and experts out there, but PSAM’s purpose is to be the watchdog
that delivers valuable information on trends, cases, and expert resources to
allow the people to stay informed and make their own educated decisions on
steps for prevention.
Q. Tell us about the launch Event on April 1st:
This free event will offer valuable knowledge and experience on topics ranging from parking lot security and survival mindset to vehicle safety and beyond. A wide range of security experts will teach you how to be safe and aware on April 1, 2013, at the Bellevue University Campus in Sarpy County, NE, from 4:30pm to 6:45pm. The event will feature top ranking police officers, security experts from Sarpy and Cass county Sheriffs, Clark International, Leonum Advisors, Palladin Consulting Group, Jones Automotive, Civil Dispatch, and others. Valuable Information from the event, including videos, will be available online shortly after the event.
Q. What are you doing nationally?
SHOLDIT is doing a national push to bring awareness to Personal Security Awareness Month. Our efforts have already been featured in a wide range of national press outlets. We want to reach people to remind them to stay aware of the dangers, how to try to outthink the criminals, and stay out of reach of their quick and clever tactics.
Q. Are you going to do this every year?
Yes, we plan to continue to grow the event next year and hope to make PSAM a nationally (and internationally) recognized month each April. We need people to get involved and spread the word! We also are looking for emerging trends, new techniques to keep the public safe, and people who are willing to share their own personal stories in an effort to help others avoid the same kind of victimization.
Q. What do you hope to accomplish?
It all comes down to saving lives and or saving people from becoming victims. By hosting PSAM annually, our goal is to refresh the tips they already know and also to share new trends that con artists are using and how each of us can prevent victimization by being ahead of their game.
Editor’s Note: The National Crime Prevention Council sends a special thanks to SHOLDIT and Ms. Angela Lee, founder, for contributing to NCPC’s continued efforts to “Take A Bite Out Of Crime®.”
Texting while driving is a detrimental epidemic in the United States; it’s dangerous and has serious consequences. Statistics show that in 2011 at least 23 percent of auto collisions involved cell phones. That’s more than one million accidents! Texting makes a crash 23 times more likely to occur.
Texting while driving includes the acts of composing, sending, or reading a text message or email, or doing anything else on a cellular device while driving a vehicle. The minimum amount of time your eyes are diverted from the road because of texting is five seconds; if you’re driving 55 mph that equals driving the entire length of a football field without looking at the road. Think of how many obstacles there are for the 100 yards of a football field… can you imagine how many there would be on the road?
Although dangerous, it is not uncommon among teenage drivers or adults to text while driving. Seventy-seven percent of young adults are confident that they can safely drive a vehicle while texting. The percentage is so high because 48 percent of kids ages 12-17 have been in a vehicle while the driver was texting. If kids grow up seeing adults, parents, or caregivers texting and using their cellphones while operating motor vehicles, the kids are going to think it is acceptable.
Ways to prevent texting and driving:
Create laws:
Use preventive technology to:
*Many cell phone providers offer FREE anti-texting and driving mobile applications.
Simply set a good example for the passengers in your vehicle:
No matter what the scenario is, a text message can wait until your vehicle is in park and the car is turned off. If you feel that it is urgent, pull your car over to the side of the road or a parking lot to respond to a text message you receive while driving. The satisfaction of responding to a text message while driving a vehicle is not worth the consequences: receiving a ticket; causing an accident; or even worse, fatal injury to you, your friends, or innocent bystanders.
Visit www.ncpc.org to learn more about wireless safety and for resources to help your family or community address other safety issues.
Like most holidays, Valentine’s Day has extended to the web. With the click of a button, you can deliver flowers and candy, make reservations at a romantic restaurant, or search for that special someone through an online dating service.
The Internet today has become an invaluable resource in both our personal and professional lives. However, as technology advances, so do the techniques cybercriminals use to gain access to our computer networks and personal information. If each of us becomes more aware of cybersecurity risks and implements a few simple steps, we can all make a big difference.
Below find tips from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) on how to protect your personal information online.
Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and we are all called on to ACT or Achieve Cybersecurity Together. For more information, please visit www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect.
Posted by the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Before you cozy up and get hit by cupid’s arrow, you need to make sure that whatever activity you participate in, you are safe from sexual predators. Many of us have heard our parents or adult influences warn us about the dangers of sexual predators. How long will it be or how many unfortunate news stories will occur before people, especially young adults, take this issue seriously? Rape and sexual assault are no joking matter. I have lived on a college campus for three years now and I hear more people joking about it than people caring to stop it. Living on a college campus is great; you get to meet new people, go different places, enjoy new experiences, and become responsible for your own life. However, this responsibility is new to many young adults and if you are not careful and make wise choices, you can become a victim.
According to the Uniform Crime Report [1] there were 83,425 rapes reported in 2011. The CDC [2] (Centers for Disease Control) stated that about 80 percent of female rape victims were first raped at age 25 or younger. That is a huge number of kids we’re talking about in high school and college. The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) [3] showed that one-third of the women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In the 2009 CVS [4] (Crime Victimization Survey) conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics it was highlighted that 70 percent of violent crimes against women were committed by someone they knew. To me, those statistics are astounding, and terrifying.
Although I live on a very small college campus, I still know people who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Attending a college party or meeting with a friend alone in their dorm can turn out to be dangerous if you don’t know the other students very well.
There are other dangerous situations in which people have been victims of rape or sexual assault. With social networking and dating sites becoming increasingly prominent, you often hear about friends meeting people they don’t know online, or even going to meet this stranger in person. According to the Enough-is-Enough [7] website, 65 percent of online sex offenders used social networking sites to get home or school information about a victim. Meeting with or even talking to someone you don’t know can be extremely risky. You can never be sure that the person you are talking to is actually who they say they are.
There are some simple rules I live by that have helped me and my friends out of potentially hazardous situations:
1) Always go out with a group of friends; that way you can watch out for them and they can watch out for you.
2) Never put your drink down or leave it unattended.
3) Trust your guts; if it doesn’t feel right, don’t force yourself to do something just to appease your friends.
Many of those tips may seem like common sense. However, common sense tends to get pushed aside for things like drinking alcohol or trying to look “cool.” Don’t sacrifice your safety for your image or peer pressure. Go out, have fun, and meet friends, but most importantly make sure to be safe. For more tips and information on sexual violence, visit RAINN [5] (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network). For more information, resources, and strategies see the NCPC tip sheet on date rape [8] or visit ncpc.org [6].
[2] http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1214_sexual_violence.html
[3] http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf
[4] http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv09.pdf
[6] http://www.ncpc.org/topics/violent-crime-and-personal-safety
[7] http://www.internetsafety101.org/Predatorstatistics.htm#_ftnref
[8] http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/training/Date%20Rape%202012.pdf
We divulge
a lot of personal information online. If not publicly and intentionally via
social media and cell apps, we do so inadvertently through online shopping and
banking, emailing, and even just by browsing through the latest cute videos or pictures. And we browse on more than our computers. Nowadays we can disseminate all our personal
information instantly from our phones and tablets. If you’re not careful, the results can be devastating.
In 2010, 8.6 million households in the U.S. had at least one member age 12 or
older who experienced one or more types of identity theft, according to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics. In October
2012, in South Carolina alone, 3.6 million social security numbers were
hacked. And in recent years we’ve heard too many tragic
stories of school-aged children taking their own lives because of cyberbullying
that took place online and with cell phones.
To encourage
people to take responsibility for protecting their own privacy and data online,
the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security’s Stop.Think.Connect. campaign started Data Privacy Day in 2008, which
is observed in the U.S and Canada.
January 28, Data Privacy Day, commemorates the 1981 signing of
Convention 108 – the first legally binding international treaty dealing with
privacy and data protection.
The National Crime Prevention Council is a national partner of the Stop.Think.Connect. campaign, which reminds Americans that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. The national public awareness campaign is aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online. The NCPC recommends individuals review its Mind What You Do Online booklet from its website, review privacy settings for your computer, cell, and tablet applications, and check out the Stop.Think.Connect. Quick Tips page for incident response and reporting tips.
A few basic tips include
Two days prior to the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT, my co-worker’s daughter’s school had a lockdown due to a student bringing a gun into the school. My co-worker, a retired police officer and coincidently from Connecticut, was in Virginia with me on business when it occurred. This prompted us to have a lengthy discussion regarding overall school safety and what changes he would recommend for his daughter’s school. Sadly, I didn’t even know what my own children’s school policy and procedures were for this type of incident. The next evening (Thursday), my co-worker voiced his concerns to a few members of the school’s PTO and business community. Then Friday, the tragedy occurred. He and I were totally heartbroken.
This tragedy caused me to have serious conversations with my children and what protocols they are taught should a tragedy such as this occur. I normally leave these conversations to my husband who is a retired police officer and very active in the school (a private K3-12 institution), but I wanted to know for myself that my children will be as safe as possible. I already had a few concerns regarding visitors and past students having too much open access to the school. Although the school has a very friendly and family-oriented atmosphere, you still cannot be too careful. Just in 2001 during the Washington, DC, sniper attacks, the snipers were in the school’s neighborhood. Trust me, that is still very much on my mind.
I must say what my oldest child and my niece (who also attends the school), 12th and 10th grades, told me their procedures were during an active shooter lockdown disturbed me. It was vastly different from what my son in 2nd grade is supposed to do. On December 18, NCPC released a press release to offer tips and resources to parents, students, and educators, along with our School Safety Toolkit and other resources. Armed with this information, I gave it to the school’s director. The school, with thousands of other schools across the country, reexamined its policies and procedures on school safety. My husband assisted the school’s director with a safety drill on January 4. As a result, necessary changes have been made.
I would like to urge parents to become an active partner with your children and in their schools. Whether it is attending a sporting event or school play; a more serious matter such as your child being bullied or approached by a gang; or the unthinkable – a school shooting such as Newtown, as a parent, you have the power to inform, make suggestions, and play an active role in the safety and security of your child. Don’t be a bystander in their lives. Your partnership could make a critical difference in creating a safe, caring, and thriving environment for not only your child but also for the entire school population as well.
While legal definitions of stalking can differ depending on local, state, and federal laws, the National Center for Victims of Crime generally defines stalking as a “course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.”
The National Center for Victims of Crime is the nation’s top organization for information related to crime victims and those affiliated with them, such as advocacy groups and human services organizations. Located in Washington, DC, The National Center for Victims of Crime launched the National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) campaign in 2004. NSAM was developed out of the work done by the Stalking Resource Center, a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime, funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.
This annual observance is an excellent way for the public, as well as law enforcement professionals and advocacy groups to learn more about stalking and ways to develop responses and solutions to this oftentimes faceless crime. The Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime has developed a comprehensive website with educational materials, statistics, and resources.
Recent statistics have shown that 6.6 million people are stalked in one year in the United States. The crime of stalking perpetuates fear, anxiety, and social dysfunction in its victims, and can escalate into violence, sometimes fatal, without awareness and the involvement of law enforcement.
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is also dedicated to the personal safety of all citizens, and encourages the public to view its resources on a variety of safety-oriented topics. Please visit the below links to learn more about NCPC’s initiatives.