Earlier this month, communities all over the country organized events around National Night Out to help reinforce a relationship between neighbors and law enforcement.

But you don’t have to wait until next year to bring your neighborhood together. This summer, President Obama called on all Americans to dedicate some of their time to serving their community. There is still plenty of time for you to get involved and volunteer some of your time toward empowering your neighborhood against crime.

There are countless activities you can get involved in that bring people in your community together and that can send a message to criminals. Starting a neighborhood watch, volunteering you time to graffiti removal and litter pick up, or setting up community activities that kids can get involved in are a few of the many activities that contribute to cleaning up a neighborhood. Continue reading Giving Back To Your Community To Help Fight Crime »

When registered sex offenders travel outside of their home state, they are supposed to inform law enforcement of their plans. Each state and territory has maintained their own sex offender registry, which make regulations difficult to enforce when there is no standard across state lines.

The Adam Walsh Act was passed to help create a uniform approach to protecting our nation’s children, by creating some consistency across state laws.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been a tireless advocate for enforcement of these laws, and a partner to law enforcement in the fight to prevent sex offenders from slipping through the cracks.

Every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. But the majority of these attacks are never reported to the police. If you or someone you know are attacked, it can be a very difficult decision to come forward and report the crime.

Regardless of whether you come forward right away or if you decide to wait, one of the most important tools you have in the search for justice is to have a rape kit taken. When a nurse or doctor takes a rape kit, they collect fibers and DNA samples–hair, saliva, or other fluids–which is sent to a lab to run tests that might help to identify an attacker.

The DNA database contains information for over 6 million convicted criminals, and allows law enforcement to share information across state lines. DNA samples contain accurate information that help to identify a criminal and that could bring you much closer to getting justice.

Check some other posts on sexual assault right here at the AMW Safety Center for more information and resources.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the National Night Out program. All over the country, over 9,500 communities are participating in events during this week that celebrate residents and police officers working together to keep our neighborhoods safe. Citizens, businesses, schools and civic groups all participate in these campaigns that serve to send a clear message to criminals.

These celebrations take the form of block parties, cook outs, candlelight vigils, sports events, and or other activities that involve people of all ages.

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. has seen NNO help local communities in several ways:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness.
• NNO helps generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs.
• Bringing neighbors together by strengthening neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.
• Sends a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Contact your local law enforcement today to find out about events in your community, and check out the NNO site to find out what other communities have done.