NCJ Number
77117
Editor(s)
R Tatam
Date Published
1977
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This Contra Costa, Calif., crime prevention booklet emphasizes that the removal of opportunity for burglary, auto theft, rape, and other threats is the best method of crime control.
Abstract
During its first 3 years the Contra Costa County Crime Prevention Committee stimulated many local citizen-police partnerships for the planning and implementation of crime prevention projects. This booklet attempts to further the goal of improved community knowledge about crime. Since residential burglary remains the major crime problem in the county, with an average of 25 burglaries per day, the first four chapters are devoted to practical, low-cost, and no-cost ways to protect the home. These include a neighborhood alert organization, Operation Identification to mark personal belongings, and suggestions for locks, alarms, and other home security methods. Telephone security means not volunteering information to strangers and reporting obscene, strange, or threatening calls. The chapter on vehicle security describes how to keep cars, motorcycles, and bicycles from being stolen. For example, locking the ignition and removing the key from the car cut the chances of auto theft in half. In addition, persons should avoid street crime by staying on busy, well-lit streets and should avoid provoking criminals when robbed or threatened. Suggestions on protection from sex criminals including rapists, exhibitionists, peeping toms, and child molesters, are included. Other chapters cover the parents' roles in delinquency prevention and child abuse, the local drug scene, consumer fraud and con games, and prevention of business crimes. Precautions for the safety and protection of babysitters and children in their care are presented. Police investigative procedures are briefly discussed, and a glossary of terms, local phone assistance numbers and some illustrations are provided.