Vandalism What Should You Do?

By McGruff and Scruff
July 19, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept.

In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books. Today’s Tip: Help others in the Community.

You and your friends can help out in your neighborhood by taking some few simple steps each day:
Ask your teacher if you could help by erasing the blackboard, or if he or she needs help carrying supplies.

• Bake some goodies for the elderly people in your community.
• Offer to rake the lawns of those in your neighborhood who are not able to.
• Ask your parents if they need help around the house. For example, offer to fold the laundry while you watch the television…that way you both win!
• Collect donations for a local shelter or Red Cross office. These are just a few ideas that you can do to help out around your community.
• By helping out, you are saying thanks to all those who make your neighborhood great!

 

Today, we will talk about Vandalism
<>Have you ever seen a street sign that was painted over, a picnic table with someone’s name carved on it, or a library book with pages torn out of it? Have you ever done any of those things?
Doing these things is called vandalism. It’s when someone breaks or damages someone else’s property.

There are reasons why you shouldn’t vandalize property and things you can do if you see vandalism.

Remember, you shouldn’t vandalize because

• People feel angry, hurt, and sometimes frightened when something of theirs is destroyed for no reason.
• Schools pay millions of dollars each year to clean up graffiti. Graffiti is paintings and drawings on walls, lockers, and other property. That’s money that could be used to buy computers, sports equipment, and books.
• Graffiti gives criminals the impression that people don’t care about their neighborhoods, which can make the neighborhoods unsafe.
• Vandalizing a street sign can cause problems other than the damaged sign. Drivers could get lost or be in a car accident because they didn’t see the sign.

If you see graffiti, destroyed street signs or library books, or other kinds of vandalism, tell an adult who you trust about it. If you see someone vandalizing something, get away and tell an adult you trust.

Source: McGruff

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think?dan@youngchronicle.com