As September closes out, I’d like to remind you that October is National Crime Prevention Month. The National Crime Prevention Council designated it as such in 1984. Since then, many organizations and agencies have been working to educate the public on practicing ways to prevent crime to help make our communities safer.
Prevented crimes are often hard to measure; in some cases, you’re able to see the actions that led to a crime being stopped. In others, there is no way to tell just how many lives were potentially saved thanks to the actions of law enforcement or the public.
Over the years, we have seen the creation of many different neighborhood watch groups. These groups and their relationship with law enforcement play an important role in keeping our county safe.
If your neighborhood does not have a crime watch group, talk to them about creating one or work up a buddy system where each neighbor keeps an eye on the houses next door. If you’re going out of town and let your neighbor know not to expect anyone, they can respond appropriately if they see someone go inside. That communication is key in alerting law enforcement.
If you see something, say something. Sometimes we assume that someone else will speak up, and instead it goes unnoticed. First responders are here to help the community; if we receive the same tip or multiple calls, it’s not a bad thing.
We have a Community Action Team whose goal is to keep you informed and connected with our department. If you’d like them to speak with your neighborhood, organization or group, call 803-785-8230 and ask to speak with the CAT team.
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