Staying active in your community will help you feel safer and help make your neighborhood a better place to live.

Crime prevention is everyone's responsibility, not just a job for the police. Crime can be reduced by simple measures like remembering to lock a door, knowing about common con games, and watching out for your neighbors.

Ways to Help Out

• Ask the crime prevention officer from your local law enforcement agency to talk to your senior citizen's group.
• Become a foster grandparent or block parent for children who may need help in an emergency.
• If a friend has been a victim of crime, be supportive. Listen carefully and non-judgmentally, cook a meal, help repair damage or replace belongings. Accompany the victim to the police station and to court.
• Join a Neighborhood, Apartment, or Window Watch, or Citizen Patrol.
• Volunteer for a local Court Watch to help make courts more responsive to citizen's needs.

Seniors & Crime

Although surveys consistently show that persons over 65 are victims of crime far less frequently than young people, senior citizens suffer more as a result of crime. Many senior citizens are so worried about crime they shut themselves up in their homes and rarely go out. Isolating yourself behind locked doors, not getting together with your neighbors, actually makes a criminal's work easier. Senior citizens are more vulnerable to certain crimes like purse snatching, mugging and fraud. You can reduce opportunities for criminals to strike by being careful, alert, and a good neighbor.

If You Are Assaulted

• Contact your local victim assistance center to help you deal with the trauma many crime victims experience. They can help you learn more about counseling, victim compensation laws, and how to follow your case's progress.
• If the attacker is only after your purse or other valuables, do not resist. Your life and safety are worth more than your possessions.
• Make a conscious effort to get an accurate description of the attacker and call the police or sheriff immediately.
• Start a crime prevention program in your building or neighborhood. Turn your tragedy into a helping experience for others.