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Citizen Crime Fighters: Should They Be Part of Society's Safeguards?By THERESA RAPOLTI-SABATINO Crime is a concern for citizens in every community in the United States and even worldwide. Within our own Volusia and Flagler County communities, there are areas where criminal activity occurs more often than in other places. A recent article in The Daytona Beach News-Journal addressed the issue of crime in our area and reported a lot of interesting facts. Although Volusia and Flagler Counties have well-established law enforcement agencies to keep people from breaking laws (and to punish them if they do), many local citizens believe that people who live in the community can help reduce crime significantly. The issue of local residents participating in crime prevention brings up the controversy of whether or not the benefits are worth the possible risks to participating residents. A controversy also exists as to whether or not citizen participation helps or hinders the work of the law enforcement agencies.
Many people would agree that one way that citizens can help reduce crime is by participating in a neighborhood watch program. In many communities, signs are displayed to tell everyone, including possible criminals, that the area is protected by the neighborhood watch system. The signs can help residents feel safer as well as act as a deterrent to potential vandals or criminals. Neighborhood watches can be organized in a variety of ways, with the most basic being that people who are at home keep their eyes and ears open for anything "unusual" in their neighborhoods. Some communities or neighborhoods go much further with the neighborhood watch system, by scheduling residents to patrol at certain times during the day or night. By rotating the citizen patrol or watch, responsibility is shared by residents in an agreed-upon manner so that the burden is not placed on just a few concerned citizens. Concerns exist with both law enforcement providers, such as city police and county sheriffs, as to the overall benefit of neighborhood watch activity. Some law enforcement officers believe that encouraging citizens to observe their local neighborhood contributes greatly to crime prevention. Advocates of citizen participation say that residents know their own community better than anyone else. They know their neighbors' habits, daily schedules and cars they drive, for example. Some people don't think that citizens should play a role in crime prevention, however, because they might interfere with the work of professionals. They also voice concern that residents could get hurt. The risks to the citizen could be minimal if their role is observing neighborhood activity from the safety of their own home. The risk becomes greater if the neighborhood watch system within a residential community involves patrolling the neighborhood. Another concern is the course of action that is expected of the resident on patrol should criminal activity be observed. In conclusion, opinions of both citizens and law enforcement personnel regarding the benefits and risks of a "neighborhood watch system" still present a controversy. Both advocates and non-advocates of resident participation in crime prevention have valid viewpoints. Everyone wants to live in a community that is safe for all residents including young babies, school children and senior citizens. It is also true that everyone wants to ensure citizen safety and that law enforcement personnel do not want to have residents of a community or their law enforcement colleagues injured while trying to reduce crime. Let's move on to some activities to help you decide if you are for or against citizen participation in crime prevention. Try these interesting activities using The News-Journal 1. Scan The News-Journal to find and read articles about crime prevention. On a blank sheet of paper, make a list of "pros" and "cons" regarding citizen participation in crime prevention, such as neighborhood watch programs. Share your opinions and your list in a discussion you initiate (start) with a trusted adult such as your parent, caregiver or teacher. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.1, LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.2.2.3, SS.C.2.2.2.)
2. Using the information gathered while scanning The News-Journal and preparing your "pros" and "cons" list, write one or two paragraphs that express your opinion of citizen participation in crime prevention. Ask your teacher if you can share your opinions and perspectives about this issue with your class. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3, LA.C.3.2.1, SS.C.2.2.2.) 3. Using The News-Journal, scan for photographs to cut out that address crime in Volusia and Flagler Counties. Make a collage using the pictures that you have found. Ask your teacher or caregiver if you can share your collage with your class or family. This activity of sharing and explaining your collage could be combined with sharing your written opinion (from the activity above) with your class or family. (Sunshine State Standards: SS.C.2.2.2, VA.B.1.2.1, VA.B.1.2.4.) 4. Scan The News-Journal for controversial comments regarding citizens participating in residential crime prevention. Using the information from the newspaper, create a list of approximately five questions regarding this controversy. Pretend to be a news reporter who wants to get the opinions of the community by asking classmates, friends or family members to answer your questions. Examples of questions may include: 1. In your opinion, what could law enforcement officers do to help create a feeling of safety and security in your community? 2. Would you like to have a neighborhood watch system in place in your neighborhood? 3. Would you like to have the law enforcement staff increased so that officers could spend more time patrolling neighborhoods? These are sample questions that you can use or create your own questions. You can decide how many people you would like to interview. After your interviews are complete, create a chart to show the range and frequency of opinions. If possible, post your chart in a public place for others to think about. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.1, LA.B.2.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3, SS.C.2.2.2.) 5. Scan The News-Journal for information about local law enforcement agencies. With permission, contact a law enforcement agency and ask to meet with an officer. Inform the agency that you are researching citizen participation in public safety and you would like to ask the officer some questions regarding this issue. With the help of a trustworthy adult, make your list of questions and be prepared to write or tape record the officer's responses. In conclusion, summarize the general ideas that the officer expressed. Ask your parent, caregiver or teacher if you can share the information that you have gathered. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.1, LA.B.2.2.1, LA.B.2.2.3, LA.C.3.2.3, SS.C.2.2.2.) A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these links for information and activities The website at www.usaonwatch.org has a lot of information about neighborhood watch programs, as well as on other programs to promote community safety. This site offers a weekly new letter and messages from President Bush and other U.S. political leaders. This is a great site for facts and research.
The Younger American's Act has a website at www.CYAR.org. This site has crime prevention information from the perspective of the youth of America as well as a question and answer section and ways to express your own opinions on the site or have discussions with other youth. Please get permission from a parent or other responsible adult before leaving any personal information-including your name, age, etc.-on the web. Officer McGruff's website at www.McGruff.org is colorful, informative, and offers activities that combine fun and learning such as coloring, comics and even a way to contact McGruff himself. The Neighborhood Watch program has a site that offers free informational books such as "The Citizens Preparedness Book" and other informative ideas about helping prevent crime in your community. This site is not specifically geared toward children but the information is easy to understand. Click on to www.citizencorps.org to check it out for yourself. The National Crime Prevention Council has a website with information for adults and children. Officer McGruff has been spotted on this site giving information to children about safety in the neighborhood as well as at school. This site can be accessed at www.ncpc.org. Click on and see if you can get some of McGruff's information here. TheNewspaper Association of America'sweb site contains links to many papers in the United States and around the world, which may contain information pertaining to the airline industry and air travel. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries. The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published October 7, 2002 |
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