Crime PreventionLaw and Policy

2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 500

Arlington, VA 22202

(202) 261-4153 pharris@ncpc.org

www.ncpc.org/ncpa

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• Establish a mandate for providing Crime Prevention programs and services.

• Provide leverage to encourage other professions and organizations to engage in and support crime prevention activities.

• Express a commitment to provide the resources to support Crime Prevention programs and services. Prevention of Crimes.

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Crime Prevention Laws and Policies

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Crime Prevention Law

Virginia

Crime Prevention

Law

• 9-173.16 Establishes Crime Prevention Center

• 9-173.17 Establishes the McGruff House Program

• 2-1-342 Protects the confidentiality of Neighborhood Watch Members

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Crime Prevention Law

Virginia

Crime Prevention

Law

• 18.2-96.1 Guidelines for Operation ID and penalties for unlawful alteration

• 58.1-346.5 Establishes Community Policing Fund (Allows designating portion of Tax refund to fund)

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School Related Law

Virginia

Crime Prevention

Law

• 22.1-278.1 School Safety Audit

• 22.1-280.1 Mandates that schools shall establish programs to prevent crime.

• 22.1-280.2 School Crime Line requirements

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Crime Prevention Law

Virginia

Crime Prevention

Law

• 35.1-28 Hotel liability states operators must exercise due care, specifically-suitable locks installed (Hotel industry security requirements-deadbolts, peepholes etc)

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Crime Prevention Law

Virginia LawLandlord Tenant Act

55.248.13.1

• Requires that any Landlord renting 5 or more dwelling units in one building provide DEADBOLT Locks and PEEPHOLES

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Crime Prevention Law

Virginia Law

Zoning: 15.1- 489

• Purpose of Zoning Laws includes providing for health and safety and protecting people from CRIME.

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Crime Prevention Law - Ohio

505.702 Neighborhood crime watch programs.

 

A board of township trustees may appropriate

township general revenue fund moneys not

appropriated for any other purpose for the purpose

of establishing, promoting, and operating

neighborhood crime watch programs in the

township. 

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Crime Prevention Law - Colorado

24-33.5-510. Victim Prevention programs

(3) The division of criminal justice shall allocate the moneys obtained pursuant to subsection (2) of this section for the development of victim prevention programs which meet the following criteria:

 

(a) The program shall have as its principal purpose the reduction or prevention of the incidence of crime in the community.

 

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Crime Prevention Law - Connecticut

Sec. 17b-801. Fuel and weatherization assistance

programs. Crime prevention and safety program.

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The program may provide for the purchase and

installation, where necessary, of devices which allow a

person inside a dwelling unit to view the area outside

the door, or doors with windows, locks on windows and

doors, and smoke detectors.

The installation of devices under this program shall be

done at the time weatherization is done.

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Crime Prevention Law - Florida

163.503  Safe neighborhoods; definitions.

(7)  "Defensible space" means an architectural

perspective on crime prevention through physical

design of the environment to create the ability to

monitor and control the environment along individual

perceived zones of territorial influence that result in a

proprietary interest and a felt responsibility.

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Crime Prevention Law - Vermont

§ 591. Outdoor lighting - Conservation & Development

(a)… the purpose of this chapter to develop voluntary guidelines ….. to facilitate the use of lighting fixtures and design criteria that minimize the causes of sky glow, light trespass, and glare, while still providing a comfortable, visually effective, energy efficient, safe, and secure outdoor environment. …..

On a pragmatic basis, it is assumed that appropriate lighting is safer and more efficient than inappropriate lighting.

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Crime Prevention Law - Minnesota

609.5315 Disposition of Forfeited Property

Disposition of certain forfeited proceeds; prostitution.

The proceeds from the sale of motor vehicles forfeited

under section 609.5312, subdivision 3, ….. shall be

distributed as follows:

(3) the remaining 40 percent of the proceeds must be forwarded to the city treasury for distribution to neighborhood crime prevention programs.

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Crime Prevention Policy

How Important is

Crime Prevention to

Government?

• In 1994 Virginia Governor George Allen introduced his Crime Prevention Plan

• The 1997 Virginia Criminal Justice Plan was initiated

• 1999 Virginia Governor Gilmore’s School Violence Initiative and re-emphasis on the Triad Program

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Crime Prevention Policy

• Virginia Governor Warner’s policy statement regarding Crime Prevention was that, “crime prevention is critical and it just makes good common sense.

• Every $1 invested in crime prevention saves $3 down the road.”

How Important is

Crime Prevention to

Government?

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Crime Prevention Policy

OSHA’S

Recommendations for

Workplace Prevention

Late-Night Retail

Establishments 1998

Source:

Occupational Safety and

Health Administration

• Adequate Lighting• Drop Safes• Video Surveillance• Alarms• Emergency Procedures• Restrict Customer

Access• Two Clerks on Duty• Training

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Crime Prevention Policy - IACP

Adopted October 16, 2007 - 114th Annual Conference

Reaffirming Adopting Crime Prevention as a Philosophy

RESOLVED that the International Association of

Chiefs of Police (IACP), hereby encourages every

police executive to embrace crime prevention and its

philosophy for the creation of programs, operational

strategies, and methodologies for the delivery of

police services to the communities they serve;

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Crime Prevention Support

• Evidence of the support of chiefs and sheriffs of crime prevention as a law enforcement responsibility can be found in the 2003 national census of local law enforcement agencies conducted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

• The census revealed that 74% of local police departments and 73% of sheriff departments has a function within the department that provides crime prevention education services.

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Crime Prevention Policy - CALEA

Standard 45.1 - Crime Prevention

45.1.1 The agency’s crime prevention function

provides the following:

a. Targeting programs by crime type and geographic area on the basis of crime data;

b. Targeting programs to address community perceptions or misperception of crime; and

c. Conducting a documented evaluation of crime prevention programs, at least once very three years.

Source: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcements

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Crime Prevention Policy - Virginia

Virginia Law Enforcement

Professional Standards Commission

(accreditation)

ADM.21.02 - Crime Prevention

If granted the opportunity by the jurisdiction’s

governing authority, the agency provides crime

prevention input into development and/or revision of

zoning policies, building codes, fire codes, and

residential/commercial building permits.

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Crime Prevention Job Description

Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas

JOB TITLE: Police Officer (Crime Prevention)

JOB OBJECTIVE:

To instruct citizens, business owners, and students

in crime prevention methods; to assist with various

citizen participation programs presented by the

Police Department.

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Crime Prevention Job Description

Las Vegas Metro Police Department

Crime Prevention Specialist

Defintion

To assess, evaluate and analyze community crime

prevention needs; to develop and implement crime

prevention programs to foster community involvement;

to make public presentations and provide crime

prevention training sessions; and to perform a variety

of tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility.

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Policy Protecting Communities

• In 1998 Virginia created a unique program to encourage community involvement in crime prevention and to recognize those communities that made prevention a priority.

• CERTIFIED CRIME PREVENTION COMMUNITY (CCPC)

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Certified Crime Prevention Community

Mandatory Core Elements

• Community Crime Prevention Council

• Identifiable Crime Prevention staff person

• Neighborhood Watch Program

• Community Policing or Crime Control Process in Place

• Distribution of Community Safety Info

• Ability to conduct Security Assessments

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Certified Crime Prevention Community

Mandatory Program Requirements

• Crime Analysis Capability

• School Safety Assessments

• Business Watch

• Access to Victim Witness Services

• Accredited Agency

• Minimum Number of other optional elements or programs

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Crime Prevention StandardsVirginia Crime Prevention Association

• Crime Prevention is responsibility of all officers

• All agencies should have goals of crime prevention

• All agencies should have a staffed Crime Prevention Unit to facilitate the crime prevention mission

• All agencies should have a crime prevention planning process

• Prevention staff should work with analysis, planning to insure prevention is a planning goal

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Commitment to Crime Prevention

• A final commitment to crime prevention through legislation is the certification of “Crime Prevention Specialists” in Virginia.

• Code of Virginia 9-173.19 and 9-173.20 establishes the rules related to this certification.

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Crime Prevention Specialist

• Sworn or civilian employee of government agency

• Auxiliary Officer, Deputy or Volunteer

• Approved by your agency’s Executive Officer

Eligibility

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Crime Prevention Specialist

• Certified Instructor within past five years

• 40 hour Introductory Crime Prevention Training

• 80 additional hours of approved prevention training

• 3 years Government Experience

• 1 year Crime Prevention experience

Requirements