The City of Naperville consistently ranks as one of the safest cities of its size in which to live, raise a family and retire. The awareness and crime prevention efforts of Naperville’s citizens are major factors in this success.
October is National Crime Prevention Month, so it’s fitting to focus this month’s “A Safer Naper” campaign on what residents can do to help prevent crime in our community.
The most significant defense against crime is awareness through education. One of my favorite quotes is by Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The Naperville Police Department maintains a website, is active on social media, regularly works with the local media and utilizes the City’s Naper Notify system to disseminate information to the public.
Residents are encouraged to use these resources in addition to the Public Safety Incident Map to stay informed as to criminal activity in Naperville. The map allows users to view police incidents based on location, type and time frame. The map is updated at various times throughout the day as reports are approved by supervisors and is a unique tool available to the Naperville community. View the map at www.naperville.il.us/publicsafetyincidentmap.
It is also important to remember that while Naperville is a safe city, it is not a crime-free city. Active crime prevention strategies, such as Lock It or Lose It and See Something, Say Something are also critical.
Earlier this year the Naperville Police Department introduced “Paws on Patrol” Dog Walker Watch program. Through this program, residents are taught what constitutes suspicious activity and then encouraged to be vigilant of their surroundings while out “on patrol” with their canines for their daily walks. Residents are then empowered to report suspicious activity to police. For more information on Paws on Patrol, visit www.naperville.il.us/pawsonpatrol.
Removing the opportunity for crime or being aware of what constitutes suspicious activity go a long way toward reducing your risk of victimization. We also cannot stress the importance of situational awareness. By practicing situational awareness, you can avoid being in dangerous situations by being alert and aware of your surroundings.
By taking an active role in crime prevention, citizens can help curb crime in our community. Thank you for your participation in making Naperville “A Safer Naper” every day. For more information about crime prevention, visit www.naperville.il.us/asafernaper.
