• Oct. 14, 2009
  
  Car Prowl Prevention Safe and Clean team paves the way for public outreach and education
  at the Tacoma Mall
  The Car Prowl Prevention Safe and Clean team recently met with the staff at the Tacoma Mall to discuss public outreach and education possibilities, and was offered space at the mall to conduct public outreach and education. They have tentatively scheduled their first public outreach and education effort for Black Friday (Nov. 27), the Friday shopping day following Thanksgiving. Members of other Safe and Clean teams who are interested in joint outreach efforts with the Car Prowl Prevention Safe and Clean team at the Tacoma Mall, as well as volunteers who are specifically interested in assisting the Car Prowl Prevention Safe and Clean team with their outreach efforts at the Tacoma Mall and elsewhere, should contact Car Prowl Prevention Safe and Clean Team Lead Mike Fitzgerald today at (253) 591-5157.

The Team has/will assemble and create educational materials for distribution.  Using the educational materials, the Team will create public awareness of how to reduce the opportunity for crime.

The Team is researching materials from other successful programs in other communities to develop a targeted program in Tacoma.

Initially, the Team plans to conduct outreach at the Tacoma Mall, Tacoma Public Library and to City of Tacoma employees.  Subsequent activities will focus on those areas where car prowling is reported most frequently, with Team members distributing materials door to door or car to car after initial program development.

Crime Target

motor vehicle theft

Aspect of Crime Addressed

victim prevention

General Prevention Strategy

• Assemble and create educational materials for distribution. Create public awareness to reduce the opportunity for crime. Research resources from Portland, Ore. (which has a nationally recognized program for theft prevention), and program materials from block watch, business watch and crime free housing programs to develop the education materials to be distributed to targeted areas.
• Conduct outreach to Tacoma Mall, Tacoma Public Library and City of Tacoma employees for first engagement. Provide information on posting signs and handing out educational flyers to patrons.  Conduct follow-up citizen outreach which will be distributing the materials door to door or car to car after the initial program development.

How will this proposal help reduce crime? 

We will remove opportunities for crime by helping the public to be more observant of their behaviors and practice behaviors that discourage theft from vehicles.

How will this effort involve or include the community?

We will educate the community about best practices to reduce opportunities for vehicle theft.  We will involve community groups in our outreach efforts so they can mobilize their neighborhoods by getting informational flyers distributed to each resident. The business districts will be utilized in the same manner.  Armed with the right information, they can ensure that their employees and patrons know what it takes to remove the opportunity for crime. We will also solicit feedback from the community about the effectiveness of our efforts and what our next steps should be. 

Who, in addition to those listed in the contacts sidebar above, will need to be involved to make this effort successful?
     
The City of Portland could help us by sharing their educational materials, their outreach program and information on how they financed their program. They would be a resource for our program. Block watch, business watch and crime-free housing groups would bring their educational materials and outreach experience. Neighborhood council and business district groups would bring their membership and outreach capabilities. In return, they would receive our program information for distribution. All City of Tacoma media resources would also be used for outreach. Auto manufacturers, dealers and insurers might be asked to help pay for education materials, expenses and door prizes.

What pieces of information or resources are needed to move forward?

We need a City map with overlay of street light and car prowl positions.