Be Aware Be Prepared Girl Scout Crime Prevention Program Purposes To encourage Sybaquay Girl Scouts to learn about crime prevention and how to increase their safety as well as public safety. To help Girl Scouts learn and put into action positive steps to reduce opportunity for crime. To serve families, friends, and communities in this special way of being responsible citizens. Requirements 1. Each girl should understand that to Be Aware and Be Prepared she should: • Obey the law at all times and in all places. • Encourage family and friends to practice crime prevention. • Mark valuables with a driver's license number or other number suggested by your local law enforcement agency to discourage stealing. • Keep yourself and your home safe. 2. Each age level must complete the following activities: Brownies - one activity in each area of interest, including two starred activities (total of five activities) Juniors - seven activities which include one from each area of interest and two starred activities Cadettes and Seniors - nine activities which include at least one for each area of interest and three starred activities Suggested Activities for Completing "Be Aware Be Prepared" All activities may be chosen from the following suggestions. If, however, the troop or group wishes to design a requirement for its own special needs, it may do so. In making choices, girls and leaders should take care to preserve troop program balance. Each suggested activity begins with a key indicating the program levels most likely to be able to accomplish the activity successfully. The key uses "B" for Brownie, "J" for Junior, "C" for Cadette, and "S" for Senior. SECURITY 1. * B/J/C/S Learn the names of your local law enforcement agencies. Who is in charge of them? Find out how and when to get in touch with them. 2. B/J/C/S Public utility companies have expressed interest in crime prevention. Secure copies of available literature and discuss it at a troop meeting. 3. B/J/C/S Learn about and list things that make your home secure. What type of locks are there for different types of doors, windows, barns and storage buildings, and garages? Visit a hardware store or a locksmith. Do the same with lights, buzzers, alarms, and bells. The troop or group will work out its own check list (material available) which each girl will then use to make a safety check of her own home. 4. B/J/C Organize and carry out a LOCK YOUR DOOR (car, house, etc.) campaign! 5. B/J/C Find out about OPERATION IDENTIFICATION. Know which valuable objects (including bicycles, skates, and CD players) may be permanently marked. Call a family meeting to discuss this. Help make a list of things your family owns, so that if they were ever lost or taken they could be described. 6. C/S Organize a project to arrange a permanent marking service for homes in your neighborhood. 7. B/J/C/S Mental health is an important part of well-being. Talk about the difference between being suspicious and being alert . . . between being a scaredy-cat and being wisely afraid. What do law enforcement people mean by "defensive living"? Invite someone from a mental health association, or a police or sheriff's department to help you explore this CITIZENS 8. B/J/C/S Learn about safety problems in your community. What kinds of things and places should you be careful about, for your own safety? 9. B/J/C/S Learn about vandalism in your community, in schools, in other public places, or on public property. Find out what it costs taxpayers and individuals (talk with the information officer in your police or sheriff's department, with a school official, or with an insurance agent). 10. J Use requirements from the Active Citizen or Junior Citizen badge to focus on crime prevention and public safety in your community. 11. J/C/S If your class or school is bothered by "small" thefts - pencils, pens, erasers, paper - start a "Supplies Bank" with everyone putting in something so that no one can think he or she needs to steal. 12. C/S Organize a project to increase teenagers' understanding of the cost of vandalism, shoplifting, etc. 13. C/S Design a career exploration of one or more law enforcement or public safety jobs. Do research on special skills that women may bring to such careers. 14. C/S Organize a rap session with another troop, or at your school or church. Talk about why teenagers steal or vandalize. Are there connections with youth unemployment in your area? With drug use? What can teenagers themselves do about this? 15. * C/S Find out from your police department if it has an established Crime Prevention Unit. If it has, find out what types of programs the unit offers to the community. Does it offer programs for teenagers? Make arrangements for a member of the Crime Prevention Unit to address your troop and distribute literature on home security, Operation I.D. and Neighborhood Watch. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY   16.   B/J/C/S Machines are the servants of the people. Find out how television and radio help make your community a safer place to live. How do they help discourage or control crime? Visit a store where closed circuit television or electronic sensor alarm systems are used to discourage shoplifting. Talk to the store security officer about these "helpers." 17.     B/J/C/S Business, industry, and agriculture are major parts of American life. How does crime affect them in your area? Visit a supermarket, a convenience store, or a general store - find out from the manager how prices are affected by shoplifting and vandalism. 18.   B/J/C/S Whether you live in the city or the country, rural theft affects you! Food prices go up when farm equipment, seeds, crops, or animals are stolen or vandalized. Find out from your county agricultural agent what modern farmers can do to protect their property. 19.   J/C/S Shopping malls have become social gathering places as well as sales areas. What kind of security services and equipment are used in malls? What improvements can you suggest? 20.   J Use requirements of the "Science in Action" badge to learn what anticrime security and crime detection technology is used locally. How do your local law enforcement agencies use technology? Are funds sufficient for their needs? 21.   J/C/S Learn how to install home-safety devices such as simple window or deadbolt locks, etc. Install one or more (this can be part of Junior Ms. Fix It badge). 22.   C/S City, suburban, and rural planning is becoming critically important to our future. How does planning increase or decrease opportunity for crime? How does zoning affect community safety? Find out the answers from your city or county planning department. 23. * B/J/C/S Every person can improve his or her powers of observation. Increasing your ability to use all of the senses you have is basic to appreciation of beauty and responsible citizenship. Practice describing people and things. Learn to recognize different heights, weights, hair and eye colors you see. Learn to describe voice and speech patterns you hear. Learn exact words to describe things you feel, such as textures and shapes. Make up a game or contest based on such skills. 24.   B/J/C/S Learn to recognize instantly at least ten different vehicles by make, year, body style, and color. 25.   B/J/C/S Learn to read and memorize license plates faster and faster. Make a game of this. 26.   J Develop a "skilled observation" requirement focused on personal safety and use it as an addition to the Visual Arts badge. 27.   B/J/C/S How can houses, mobile home parks, and residential buildings be designed to increase their safety and security? Study and report on your own living places designed for safety and security. 28.   J/C/S Lighting is important for security. What kinds of outdoor lighting can be used for security and still be a good part of landscaping? Talk with a landscape architect about this. Make a landscape plan for your own living place or a public place near you. 29.   J/C/S Design and carry out a survey of your neighborhood to see how lighting, trees and plants, signs, and buildings help or hinder public safety. 30.   J/C/S Design and create an eye-catching poster calling for citizen crime protection. Interest local merchants in displaying prints made. 31.   B/J/C/S Write five good slogans to encourage other children and young people to obey the law and be honest citizens. Use the slogans to make posters, and arrange to display them at church, community center, neighborhood stores, etc. 32.   B/J/C/S Read at least one contemporary detective story, such as a Nancy Drew, Alfred Hitchcock, or Agatha Christie mystery, and report to your troop how the crime was solved. 33.   J/C/S Read at least one "classic" detective story, such as a Sherlock Holmes story, and report to your troop what methods the hero or heroine used to deal with the crime. 34.   J/C/S Design a speech contest on positive approaches to reducing opportunities for crime. Secure a contest sponsor (local merchants, churches, etc.). Help find judges and arrange prizes. Limit participants to Girl Scouts or involve other youth. OUT-OF-DOORS 35. B/J/C/S List ways that the natural environment can be maintained for the personal safety of human users. Learn how these things can be done, what skills are necessary to do them, and what costs are involved. 36. B/J/C/S Study and learn Girl Scout rules for personal safety in the out-of doors. 37. J/C Write a new requirement specific to personal safety on walks and hikes for girls in your troop who are working on their Hiker badge. 38. J Write a new requirement specific to personal safety for the Outdoor Fun badge. 39. C/S Design a project to improve the security of an area, such as a mini-park, playing field, camp, etc. 40. B/J/C/S Invite a U.S. Forest Service official to present an outdoor safety and personal security program to your troop or a special audience of young people in your school or neighborhood. 41. B/J/C/S Find out the best ways to contact law enforcement authorities if you should need them while on a walk or hike, or a camping or sporting trip in your neighborhood as well as other neighborhoods. Make a plan for what you would do and encourage everyone where you live to use it. Supplies and Materials For Be Aware Be Prepared Girl Scout Crime Prevention Program A wide variety of helpful publications, such as those described below, are provided free by police and sheriff's departments around the state. • How to Protect Your Home • Protecting Your Property with Operation Identification • Personal Safety Tips • How to Protect Your Car, Bicycle or Boat • Neighborhood Watch Program Information Remember, your local POLICE DEPARTMENT and/or SHERIFF's DEPARTMENT can be a prime source of help. Many departments have a specifically assigned Crime Prevention Officer or Youth Officer who would be an excellent contact. Be Aware Be Prepared patches are available for purchase at the Council Shop. Special thanks to North Carolina and New Jersey Girl Scout Councils for granting us permission to adapt their "Partners in Prevention Program." Back To Program Listing