Crime Prevention Resources

Preventing crime is always preferable to charging criminals after the fact. But crime prevention is a difficult and never-ending process, requiring cooperation among all parties and the willingness to try new approaches. If you see a crime being committed or have reason to believe criminal activity is taking place in your neighborhood, call the police. Do not take the law into your own hands, though, since doing so can create legal problems or worse.

The following resources include links to crime nongovernmental organizations, federal agencies, and other entities focused on reducing or preventing crime. 

• Crime Doctor: Contains a wide variety of tutorials and suggestions for preventing crime, including auto theft and home security.
• The National Crime Prevention Council: Raises awareness about crime rates and educates on the best ways to prevent crime; includes crime statistics, publications, and other resources.
• Crime Prevention Page: Contains publications on crime prevention from the U.S. government agency charged with maintaining statistics on crime in the U.S. (National Criminal Justice Reference Service).
• Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising: A scholarly report reviewing crime statistics and prevention efforts (National Institute of Justice).
• 35 Ways to Prevent Crime: List of easy to implement tips to keep you and your family safer (JustGive.org).
• Preventing Crime in the Black Community: An organization dedicated to reducing crime in black communities throughout Florida.
• The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence: National organization dedicated to reducing gun deaths in general as well as gun-related crime.
• St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Prevention Unit: Information on how to protect children from online predators from the St. Charles County, Mo. Police Department.
• Preventing and Detecting Cyber Crime: List of tips to help you maintain the security of online information (American Institute of CPAs). 
• The Klass Foundation: Tips for Parents:  List of tips parents can use to keep their kids safe from crime.
• National Association of Town Watch: Organization promoting the implementation of neighborhood watch and related programs.
• U.S.A. on Watch: Official Website of the national neighborhood watch program, with information on how to start a chapter in your neighborhood.

For more information, see FindLaw’s sections on criminal charges and criminal procedure.