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| Harris County's Sheriff's Office Academy in Humble, TX |
At Harris County's Sheriff's Office Academy, I had the honor of training alongside with sheriffs and officers from all over Texas about crime prevention programs available to communities. Our lieutenant instructor was from Dallas.
We focused on using a comprehensive Neighborhood Watch toolkit that including strategic planning, building business partnerships, selecting committee members, developing job descriptions, and marketing crime prevention. Portions of USAonWatch.org's program can be seen on their YouTube channel.
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| Lieutenant Cornish led class on March 7 and March 8, 2013 |
What was alarming about the training? Law enforcement participants in the room said that 70% to 90% of crime was attributed to drugs. A guest speaker from PACT360.org shared some startling drug abuse trends in the communities and gave us some clues as to what to watch for at work and at home.
What was fascinating about the training? Learning how law enforcement gathers facts and details much like how HR professionals conduct investigations. My favorite activity was testing our memory by describing a brief crime scene at a business. We also had a communication exercise where one had to describe a photo and the other had to draw it.
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| Cowboy robot in museum |
What were the best takeaways?
- Identity Theft Tip: Per an ID theft SME in the room, inform employees and everyone you know to keep or destroy their hotel room cards while on business trips to prevent credit card scams.
- Emergency Response Tip: Be prepared to a protect your business if a pandemic threat should occur. During a pandemic threat, employers, including the police departments, should have business contingency plans since they may only have an estimated 40% of the workforce available.
More About Business Watch
Business Watch takes the “neighbors looking out for neighbors” concept to the commercial level, creating a partnership between business, law enforcement, and other organizations that represent business interests. The Business Watch philosophy is straightforward—Take control of what happens in your business community and lessen your chances of becoming a victim.
Business Watches actively reduces and prevents crime through cooperation and education. Programs vary according to need; however, successful groups adhere to these fundamental steps:
• Promote communication and understanding between law enforcement and business.
• Encourage and enhance cooperation among merchants.
• Teach merchants to crime-proof their own properties, watch over neighboring businesses, and document and report suspicious activity.
• Develop a telephone tree and/or email distribution list to quickly disseminate information about area crime.
• Develop signals to activate in adjacent businesses when someone needs help.
Program Benefits
When you start a Business Watch program on your street or block, or within your shopping center or mall, you take an important step toward a safer environment for yourself, your employees, your customers—and your community as a whole. In addition to reducing crime, Business Watch offers many other benefits, including opportunities to• Network with other area businesses.
• Foster a good working rapport with area law enforcement.
• Offer employee training and education.
• Garner publicity and community goodwill for your establishment.
Tips:
- Set clear, achievable goals for your program. Your crime prevention officer can offer insight into what your new group can realistically expect to accomplish in a given timeframe.
- Start a list of names, street addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and vehicle descriptions of those who decide to participate in the program. You may also want to include names and ages of spouses and children, and work and school schedules. Other pertinent information might include names, job titles, and number of employees; business hours of operation; and whether or not participating businesses have burglar alarms, surveillance cameras, or timers on lights. While some of this information may seem somewhat personal to individuals who have just met, it is essential to commit to the Business Watch effort at this stage and agree to work together.
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In Harris County, all programs are conducted by an HCSO deputy who is a certified Crime Prevention Specialist. Program requests require at least a two-week notice prior to the date that you would like to have a deputy come to your business. To schedule a program, please contact the HCSO’s Crime Prevention Unit at 713-759-9454.
You can learn more about the HCSO's educational program here.
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