Most Middle Georgia law enforcement agencies offer crime prevention programs

From offering suggestions of how to protect your home to teaching self-defense techniques to reaching at-risk youth, most Middle Georgia law enforcement agencies offer crime prevention programs.

October is designated as crime prevention month by the National Crime Prevention Council.

The Bibb County Sheriff's Office offers more than 30 such programs throughout the year.

"Crime prevention is just being proactive, helping you not to become a victim," Bibb County sheriff's Lt. Ellis Sinclair said.

Bibb deputies routinely make a variety of community presentations on topics ranging from personal safety and identity theft to shoplifting prevention.

Also included in the realm of crime prevention are programs aimed at reaching children to deter them from a life of crime, Sinclair said. "Consider the Consequences" is one of those programs.

It involves youth taking a jail tour. They dress in jail clothes, eat jail food and spend time in a jail cell while constantly being challenged to think of ways of never coming back to jail, Sinclair said.

"Most of the children that go through that are brought to us by parents who are having problems with their son or their daughter," Sinclair said. "Some of them are in gangs, being very defiant, not wanting to respect authority."

The parents also get involved by going through a 30-minute class on the day of the program that gives them resources to help keep their children on the right course.

The program, which began in May, is offered once a month. Eighty-eight children have already completed the program.

Those children are automatically enrolled in the Smart Choice program for one year in which they attend a Saturday class once a month. The classes cover topics such as peer pressure, resisting gangs, drugs and "all kinds of things that can get our youth in trouble."

The intervention programs are designed to help young people make a U-turn in their lives before it's too late.

"If they keep traveling down the road that they're traveling on, this is where they are going to be," Sinclair said. "They're either going to wind up in (jail) or they're going to wind in up in somebody's cemetery."

Warner Robins police also offer a variety of programs that cover topics such as self-defense and business security. A new program arms walkers with whistles to signal others if there's a problem.

One of the agency's most sought-after programs is a free, three-day firearms safety class that's offered monthly, said Jennifer Parson, public information officer for Warner Robins police.

"That's really popular, and we have a waiting list for that," she said.

From time to time, the class is offered exclusively for women, Parson said.

Probably the most common program offered across the board is Neighborhood Watch, in which officers meet with residents to help tailor the program to the community.

A popular program also offered by the Houston County Sheriff's Office and other agencies is a security check of homes when owners are out-of-town or are having problems, Capt. Jon Holland said.

Residents let the sheriff's office know the dates they'll be gone, and deputies routinely drive by to check on the property, he said.

Much of the efforts toward personal crime prevention are aimed at educating people on how to be tough crime targets, whether it's protecting their home or using the buddy system when walking. Key points stressed by authorities include being aware of surroundings and remaining vigilant.

"We all tend to get into a routine, and we tend to look at life from our own perspective and we don't really understand a lot of times that we have to kind of harden ourselves to not be victims," Fort Valley Public Safety Director Lawrence Spurgeon said. "Don't be complacent, don't fall into patterns, always think about your safety first.

"Keep a 360-degree perspective about your life, because if you keep your head on swivel, you can kind of see threats as they're coming," he said.

To find out what type of crime prevention services or programs are available in a particular area, residents can call their local law enforcement agency. Some agencies, such as the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, list the programs on their websites.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559.

This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 10:09 PM with the headline "Most Middle Georgia law enforcement agencies offer crime prevention programs ."