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Creative Crime Prevention: From MySpace to McGruff: Resources to Getting the Community Involved

NCJ Number
225544
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 30,32,34,38
Author(s)
Rebecca Kanable
Date Published
October 2008
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the many resources and tools available to law enforcement to get the community involved in crime prevention.
Abstract
From the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and McGruff the Crime Dog to MySpace, there are many new and old tools available to law enforcement to talk about safety and get people interested in taking an active role in crime prevention. With law enforcement required to take preventative measures, new technology helps them accomplish their task in a different way and acts as a supplement to the one-on-one interaction they have with the community. Select new and innovative tools discussed in this article include: interactive robots (robotic McGruff), seat belt convincers (allows riders to experience the force generated in a mock low-speed collision to better understand the benefit of a seat belt and the Internet (i-SAFE, a nonprofit company dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth).