Proactive Prevention Programs
The Bridgeton Police Department has in place specific proactive prevention programs aimed toward reducing the incidence of crime and victimization: Neighborhood Watch, Corporate/Business Neighborhood Watch, The D.A.R.E. Program, The School Resource Officer, The Police Explorer Post, The Police Auxiliary Unit and the McGruff House Program.

The Neighborhood Watch Program
The National Sheriff’s Association in 1972 initially began the Neighborhood Watch Program. Locally, Neighborhood Watch is supported not only by the Bridgeton Police Department, but also by the Gateway Crime Prevention Council.

The Neighborhood Watch program in our city is comprised of interested and concerned residents in various neighborhoods who join together to assist in the protection of their community. These residents look for solutions to specific neighborhood “problems” and issues of concern, and learn how to work effectively with the police department through sharing and training.

Watch groups are not vigilantes, but are extra eyes and ears for reporting crime and helping neighbors. Neighborhood Watch is one of the most effective ways to prevent crime and reduce fear while fighting the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It forges a bond among area residents, reduces burglaries, property damage and theft, and improves relations between the police department and the community it serves.

Most neighborhood watch groups are initiated by someone in a neighborhood who volunteers to act as a liaison between the police department and the surrounding neighbors to organize an initial training session. Customarily held in a neighbor’s home, this meeting serves to provide introductions and an information exchange regarding common concerns. Participants also learn how to make their homes more secure, how to watch out for each other and the neighborhood and report activities that raise their suspicions to the police department.

Residents are also provided with the training needed to properly secure their residences and protect their personal property through marking, photographing, and preparing property inventories.

If at least 50% of the households in a neighborhood are enrolled and attend a training session a Neighborhood Watch sign will be installed on that block, attesting to the fact that alert Watch participants will report suspicious activities.

To facilitate communication between the police department and the community, a Neighborhood Watch telephone hotline number provides weekly residential burglary block location information and crime prevention tips for interested residents by dialing 569-8005.

Corporate/Business Neighborhood Watch
The Bridgeton Corporate/Business Neighborhood Watch meets on the third Wednesday of each month. The meetings are held at various locations and hosted by volunteering members.

Topics of interest are presented and address such issues as business security, handling bomb threats, alarms, employee relations and general problems and enforcement related issues brought up by members. Representatives of the Bridgeton Police Department and Pattonville and Robertson Fire Departments work together to assist in the relationship with the business community.

The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program
The D.A.R.E. curriculum was implemented in Bridgeton in 1989 and is taught at Carrollton, Bridgeway, and St. Lawrence the Martyr Schools. Developed in Los Angeles in 1983, the program has since spread across the U.S. and around the world.

The D.A.R.E. core curriculum was developed by educators to be presented to students by specially trained uniformed police officers. Since its implementation, the core curriculum has undergone continuous review and improvement, incorporating contemporary teaching methods to educate children in the prevention of drug abuse, violence, and gang affiliation. Building on the original D.A.R.E. concept, the curriculum has expanded to cover the entire span of a child’s school years.

The D.A.R.E. curriculum focuses on building self-esteem, taking responsibility for one’s behavior, resisting peer pressure and making responsible choices. As important additional benefits, the program offers students the opportunity to gain a trustworthy adult friend, develop a positive attitude toward law enforcement, and gain a greater respect for the law.

The core curriculum is taught in the fifth grade and all other students in the first through fourth grades receive a series of visitations on related safety issues. The fifth grade students receive a sixteen-week course of study and graduate at completion in a special culmination ceremony. A workbook and other curriculum related items are provided for each student through state funding. Additional needs are handled through a budgeted account. The Bridgeton Optimist Club as a graduation gift provides D.A.R.E. tee shirts.

School Resource Officer
The City of Bridgeton Police Department has applied for and received a three-year Grant of up to $125,000.00, with matching funded by the City and the Pattonville school District.

The Police Department provides a full time Police Officer at the Holman Middle School. His duties not only provide the school with security, he is also active in conflict resolution, mentoring, and of course, education.

The goal of this program is to build a continued trust between law enforcement, the school and more importantly the youth involved.

Bridgeton Police Explorer Post #9182
The Bridgeton Police Department has sponsored a Police Explorer Post #9128 for about 20 years. Police Explorers have weekly meetings at the police department. Members must be between 14-20 years old, no criminal record, must attend at least three meetings per month, be in high school or a graduate, and be of good moral character and get along well with others. Explorers do volunteer service, have field trips, academy training, and participate in ride along programs with police officers. They also listen to law enforcement speakers, and sponsor child IDENT – a – kit and fund-raising programs.

A.L.I.V.E (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments, Inc.)
The police department has also joined forces with the group A.L.I.V.E., a not for profit organization. A.L.I.V.E. offers shelter, legal advocacy, support, counseling, and appropriate referrals for further assistance to battered women and their children. The group provides these services free of charge to help battered women and children realize their own strength and to show them their ability to take control of their life. A.L.I.V.E. is supported by some government grants and other private contributions. Volunteers provide all assistance.

The McGruff House Program
A McGruff House is a temporary haven for children who find themselves in emergency or frightening situations such as being bullied, followed, or hurt while walking in a neighborhood McGruff House participants provide emergency assistance for children as they go to and from school and are at play in the area.

A volunteer “McGruff House” residence displays a sign featuring McGruff, the trench-coated spokes dog for crime prevention, licensed by the National Crime Prevention Council and recognized nationally by children because they have seen him on television, in print, or “in person.” recognizing that it is impossible for any program to protect against all contingencies, reasonable precautions have been designed into the McGruff House Program to determine the integrity of those volunteers who participate. Adults who volunteer their homes agree to law enforcement record checks. The distribution of McGruff House signs is also strictly controlled. Each numbered sign is released only after all screening procedures are completed and the applicant is approved.

A resident who volunteers as a McGruff House participant agrees to provide the following types of emergency assistance for children:
-Telephone appropriate authorities for help;
-Reassure and aid children who are frightened or lost;
-Assist children who have medical emergencies by obtaining appropriate attention;
-Report crimes and suspicious activities to law enforcement officials and provide descriptions of vehicles and suspects.

Community Outreach
In addition to the specialized programs described, this department also responds to many community requests for public presentations on issues related to law enforcement, crime prevention, security checks of commercial and residential structures, station tours, etc. and attempts to be responsive to the needs of the community.